


The Acquisition

by Pixel_Runner



Series: Building Empire [16]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alien Biology, Anal Fingering, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blame the 99th, But He Thinks He Has Been Stolen, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Language, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love Bots of Contraxia, M/M, Mostly Plot Some Porn, Oral Sex, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Slavery, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, So many OCs, Temporary Character Death, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Tullk spends a lot of Time In The Shower, Vaginal Sex, Walking Away From This Work, Yondu is Rescued
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:59:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 39,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixel_Runner/pseuds/Pixel_Runner
Summary: How Stakar Ogord acquired a battle slave.  How Tullk acquired a woman.





	1. The Target

**Author's Note:**

> I had requests for a Tullk/Amelia AU. I couldn't figure out how to write it and not get her killed. But... Amelia is not the only woman in the galaxy.
> 
> So... here is Tullk rescuing some slaves. It is cannon in this series for how Yondu ended up on Ogord's ship.
> 
> Also, I am writing these out of order, so for this work, italics indicate Kree Language is spoken.

“All right boy and girls, this is our target.  The Otava is a Kree slave transport.  Minimum crew.  Up to a hundred slaves kept in pens.  If we can get in and kill eight or so fuckers, the cargo is ours.  Now we don’t know what that cargo is.  I could be battle slaves, it could be kids, but if the slavers deploy them, it won’t matter, they will fight to the death or be killed by the control collars.”  Stakar looked at his team.  “We all know what those slave ships are like.  So, I’m asking for volunteers.”

 

“Don’t need volunteers, Boss.” Tullk said.  “I have a plan.”

 

Tullk explained.

 

The crew stared at him.  It was Andrei who finally spoke.  “That is a stupid ass plan, Tullk.”

 

Tullk grinned.

 

——

 

Dechal was bored.  Manning the proximity detectors in the middle of open space was mind numbing boring.  The slaves were due to be fed again until the day after tomorrow.  He had already lost have his wage packet to Flibe playing cards.  There was a couple of female slaves on board, but they were chained to the floor with the battle slaves they transporting and the crew was still working up their nerve to go in there to get one.

 

He leaned back in his chair and spun.

 

An alarm went off.

 

Hmmm.  He hit the comm button.  “Nupan, get in here.  You gotta see this.”

 

——

 

“What’s a Rav shuttle doing all the way out here?”  Gordir asked.

 

“Who cares?” Corrol replied.  “It lost atmo, There are no life signs.  We haul it in, it’s free salvage.  Dump the bodies, sell the cargo.  Easy money.”

 

They all looked at Neler.  “Yeah.  OK.  It will save us having to roll to avoid collision.”

 

They hit the shuttle with a tractor beam and hauled it into the shuttle bay.  They closed the hanger doors, put on some biohazard suits and opened the Rav shuttle.  There was one dead guy laying on the floor.  He had tattoos and his face and a weird smile carved into his cheeks.  He had a blaster clenched in each rigid hand.  His eyes were open, staring at nothing.  They started unloading the cargo.

 

——

 

Corrol and Nupan were looking at the shuttle logs.  The had their backs to the body.

 

——

 

Gordir carried a box out and when he came back, he saw Corrol and Nupan on the floor.   Someone touched his shoulder.

 

——

 

Flibe was still putting on his suit when Nupan came in.  “Hey, I thought you were unloading the-“

 

——

 

Deschal and Neler were watching on the vid screens.  Nupan was still wearing his biohazard suit when he came to the bridge.  He knocked on the door and waved at the camera.  Neler rolled his eyes.  “The door controls won’t work unless he takes the suit off.  Just buzz him in.”

 

——

 

Stakar was pacing.  Tullk had been gone for three hours.  This was a bad idea.  He should never have agreed to this.  He should have-

 

Andrei announced over the comms, “Captain.  I have Tullk has just announce, mission complete!”

 

There was a cheer from the crew.

 

——

 

Tullk watched as the Drydock approached the Otava.  He waited for them to get a lock on the ship then went down to the slave pens.  He always tried to spare the younger crew the trauma of the cull.  And on Kree slave ships, there was always a cull.  Those too injured or too malnourished to survive the rest of the journey would meet a painless end at his hand before his crew had to make the choice.

 

He sighed.  He took no pleasure in this.  It was merely that he was the most qualified to do it.

 

——

 

W was chained to the floor.  Technically, her designation was W172.  She was a crèche slave.  Her job was caring for the zero to five crowd until the children could start being assigned household duties.  She had no idea why she had been taken from her job and loaded on to this ship with the battle slaves, but she had been chained to the floor for a few days now.  All of them, in a row.  Hands chained to the floor, kneeling, naked.  Twice a day, the chain would lift and her row would be lead to a trough for waste and then to a water station and then back to the floor before the next row of slaves would get a turn.

 

The whole system was automated.

 

Once every four rotations or about two days, the crew would actually come with bowls of solid food and remove any bodies of slaves that had died since the last feeding.  W178 who had also served in the crèche had been chained next to W172, but had died before the last feeding.  Her body had dragged through the waste and water cycle twice before the crew had come to remove it.

 

W could still hear the woman’s death cries and see her grey face and glazed eyes when she tried to sleep.

 

W didn’t cry.  She had learned not to many years ago.  She looked up.  Three rows ahead of her and six positions to the left was Y.  She remembered him from when he was a baby in her creche.  She had been much younger then, not yet an adult herself.  She remembered him.  The strange blue child with the scar over his head and down his back.  He was the only one of that species she had ever seen.  None of the slaves wanted to touch him because the blue skin looked a bit Kree.

 

W remembered he had red eyes.  He was one of hundreds of children that had cried in the night as she cuddled them close over the years.  It had taken him a long time to learn the commands.  He kept trying to click and chirp and whistle whatever language his parents had taught him.

 

He had been beaten many times by the creche Mama for that.

 

He always came to W for comfort afterwards.

 

That had been many years ago, and he had been so small at the time.  He would not remember, but she remembered him.

 

The doors opened.  Some of the younger ones started to cry.  This was too soon for food.  The crew would be looking for someone to play with.  Whoever they took for that would not be seen again.

 

W looked at the ground.  There were only her and one other female left.  Making eye contact was dangerous.

 

The voice that spoke was not Kree.  “You poor bastards.  It will be alright. You’ll be out of here soon.”

 

There was a murmur of surprise.  They had not docked anywhere.  This was a thief.

 

Thieves were a problem.  Battle slaves had value.  Creche workers did not. W had no value as a breeder.  She was too old for that.  She had not been trained as a cook or anything that might be of use to a pirate, other than as something to stick a penis in.

 

She closed her eyes.  Maybe she would be lucky and have value as a protein source instead.

 

It turned out she hadn't completely forgotten how to cry.

 

 

 

 


	2. Kindness

His name was Y873u.  He was a battle slave.  He was being transported to a new conflict when he had been stolen.  The man with the scars had walked among the slaves giving kindness to those who needed it.  They had all watched.

 

Y was surprised to see someone he recognized on the ship.  He had cried on W’s shoulder often enough to remember her even now.  When the man with the scars had walked past her, she had turned her face to him and whispered, “Please.”

 

Y felt a lump in his throat at that.  The man had not been kind to W.  Y promised himself, that if he got the chance, he would be.  He owed her that.  He just hoped his chance would come before the thieves played with her too much.  Y knew how to kill.  He would be so gentle, so kind to her.  W would not even feel it.

 

The men in the dark blue coats had led them out of the slaver ship.  They were lined up and their collars were removed.  Then Y was taken to a big room with tables and given a bowl, with food and a fork and a knife.  It was a blunt and rubbish knife not really a weapon, but still.  He sat.  He ate.  He watched.

 

W came in.

 

Y moved fast.  He was up from the table and across the room in a flash.  He made it to within five feet of W before someone tackled him to the ground.  He was pinned face down on the floor.  Someone was slamming his right hand against the floor, ordering him to drop the knife.

 

The man with the scars came up behind W.  She flinched when he touched her.

 

Y fought harder to get up.

 

Someone shot him with a blaster.

 

——

 

“What the hell was that?”  Ogord demanded.

 

Tullk shrugged.  “The female asked me to kill her before you boarded the ship.  I’m guessing the blue guy heard her and decided to be a hero.”

 

Stakar swallowed.  “Well, shit.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Stakar rubbed the back of his neck.  “That does raise the question.  How are we going to house the two females?  It sounds like at least one of them needs to be on suicide watch.”

 

Tullk shrugged.  “I can do that.  I want the Achernonian pup too.  He’s too young to be in the general population.”

 

“Fine.  You take the one with the death wish and the pup.  We’ll put the other female in with Aleta.  Just… take care of it.”

 

“Sure thing, Boss.”

 

——

 

The female was a small thing, that wasn't surprising.  Kree didn’t bother feeding their slaves much and it was hard to grow on half rations.  Tullk wasn’t quite sure what species she was.  Her skin was a very pale lilac colour, her hair was a silvery grey.  In poor light, she would match him, but despite the bags under her eyes and the worry lines, she was likely at least ten years younger than his now fixed age.  She had finished eating and was sitting quietly looking at the table.

 

The cook had given her soup and a spoon at Tullk’s request.  No one asking for death was going to get a knife, even a blunt one, that soon.

 

He came and stood behind her.  She didn’t turn but started to tremble.  “Come on then.” He said.

 

She gave no sign of understanding.  Well, he knew she spoke Kree.  He tried again.  “ _ Come _ .”

 

She pushed herself shakily to her feet and stood in front of him, eyes carefully fixed on the ground. 

 

He pointed to the door.  “ _ Go _ .”

 

She could follow the directions for left and right and stop, in Kree, but only flinched to the same words in common.  He would have to work on that until they could get her a translator.  This wasn't going to work, but he asked anyway.  “ _ What is your name? _ ”

 

He was surprised when she actually answered.

 

“ _ W172 _ .”

 

“Yeah, that sounds about right for a Kree slave.”  He sighed.  “I am not calling you that.  I know you don’t understand this, but I am not.  People need a name.  Fuck.”  He thought for a moment.  “ _ Your name is Whiskey _ .”

 

Whiskey nodded.

 

Tullk took her into his room.  The pup was sleeping on his bed.  Crap.  He was going to need a couple of cots or….

 

Or just one.

 

He pointed at the Achernonian.  “ _ That is your job.  Don’t let him mess.  Don’t let him bite you.  Your job is to keep him clean, fed and out of trouble.  Do you understand?” _

 

“Yes.”

 

_ “This is my room-“ _  Tullk didn't even make to the end of his sentence and Whiskey had rushed forward and scooped up the sleeping pup.  She cradled him in one arm and straightened the bed with the other.

 

Then she dropped to the ground, hunched over the boy and exposed her back to him.   Tullk looked at the scars from many, many beatings over a very long time.  “ _ I’ll get you some blankets and you can make a nest in the corner.” _

 

She nodded.  He left.  She did not appear to have moved when he returned twenty minutes later.

 

“ _ Put your clothes on.  I am not going to punish you. _ ”

 

This did not have the intended results.  Whiskey did not move, but started trembling.  She whimpered.

 

“ _ I’m not going to punish you.  You were not even here when he got on the bed.  Now take the blankets and make a nest in that corner _ .”  He pointed.  She nodded but still didn't move.

 

“ _ What? _ ” He finally asked.

 

“ _ Please, master, let me take the boy’s beating.  He is very small and does not understand. _ ”

 

“ _ You will call me Tullk and I am not going to beat the boy either. _ ”

 

“ _ Thank you Master Tullk. _ ”

 

“ _ Just Tullk.  I am not your master, Whiskey _ .”

 

She nodded and finally pulled her jumpsuit back up over her shoulders.  Tullk looked at her.  She was swimming in the thing.  The pup was wearing the smallest shirt they could find as a dress.  He was going to have to find them some smaller clothes.

 

——

 

Y873u woke up. That was a surprise.  He was restrained.  That was not.  A careful look around indicated he was in some sort of medical place.  He closed his eyes again.  Doctors meant pain.  Injections or repairs after battle.  He had heard a story once that there existed medicines to make doctor’s work not hurt.  He did not believe that.  If such a thing existed, the Kree had certainly never wasted it on slaves.

 

He assessed the damage.  New bruises where he had been brought down, and on his wrists and his back hurt where he had been shot.

 

“ _ I know you are awake _ .”

 

Y873u opened his eyes and looked at a man in a blue coat with glowing yellow trim at the shoulders.  He said nothing but waited.

 

“ _ Why did you attack that woman? _ ”

 

Y873u shrugged.

 

“ _ Answer me. _ ”

 

“ _ She asked for death.  Kinder if she gets it before your men are done with her instead of after _ .”

 

Stakar rubbed the back of his neck.  “ _ She isn’t here for that. _ ”

 

The boy clearly did not believe that.

 

This was going to be a problem.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment, they make the writing go.


	3. Possession

Tullk was laying in bed reading.  It was likely completely dark to anyone else.  He didn’t really bother keeping track.  Whiskey and the pup were curled up in the corner.  This would be fine.

 

The pup started to cry.

 

Whiskey was whispering to him to hush and let the master sleep.  She was afraid.  Her voice was so quiet, Tullk doubted a Kree would have heard it.

 

He was the monster Kree threatened their children with.

 

He put down the book and looked over.  She was rubbing the pup’s back and trying to get him to sleep.  This wasn’t going to work.  If he could smell her fear, the pup certainly could.  It never worked to tell children not to be afraid of that thing that is scaring the grown ups.  He sighed and turned up the light.

 

They both turned wide, terrified eyes to look at him.

 

Tullk frowned.

 

The pup wet himself in fear.

 

Whiskey subtly adjust the blankets trying to hide the mess.

 

Tullk sighed and got out of bed.  The pup was maybe two, not yet three.  He was now crying and trying to hide behind Whiskey.

 

“ _ Come on,  I’ll show you where to wash the blankets and get clean ones. _ ”

 

Whiskey got up and wrapped pup in the dry part of the blankets and followed.  As the Quartermaster, Tullk’s was near the supply office and the laundry.  He showed Whiskey how to wash the blankets and the boy’s shirt  She used a dish cloth and a binder clip to make the boy a diaper.  Tullk was impressed.  His children and grandchildren had worn something similar.

 

“ _ You need clean clothes too, Whiskey _ .”

 

She nodded solemnly, then lead the pup into the corner of the room and sat him down.  “ _ You wait here and promise me, you won’t look.  No matter what you hear. _ ”

 

The pup nodded nervously.  Whiskey came and stood in front of Tullk, her head bowed, her hands shaking.

 

Tullk handed her the skinniest jump suit they had,  Then he went to sit next to the boy, facing the wall.  He leaned toward the kid.  “ _ Ladies dinna like it when you watch them get dressed.  It’s good manners to give them some privacy _ .”

 

The pup looked at him, shocked. “ _ For slaves too? _ ”

 

Tullk nodded, still watching the wall.  “ _ It counts extra for slaves because they are more afraid of being seen. _ ”

 

The pup went back to looking at the wall through eyes squeezed tight.  “ _ I’m sorry I messed. _ ”

 

Tullk sighed.  “ _ You are still learning.  I am new.  New is scary.  I’m not going to beat you.  Not for that.  Just try to make it to the toilet, alright? _ ”

 

The little boy started to tremble.  “ _ Please, Sir, tell me the rules so that I won’t get beaten. _ ”

 

Tullk sighed.  “ _ I never want to hit children.  It is better to explain things as they come up. _ ”  He thought for a moment.  “ _ I have no tolerance for you biting Whiskey.  Your teeth are sharp.  You are not allowed to hurt her, understand? _ ”

 

The boy nodded.  “ _ We are not allowed to hurt Mama. _ ”

 

Whiskey whimpered at that.

 

Tullk looked over his shoulder.  She was dressed and huddled, waiting.  “ _ Alright, everyone back to bed _ .”

 

Whiskey built and new nest and cuddled around the pup.  After it had been dark for a few minutes and Tullk had relaxed to his resting heart rate, he heard Whiskey’s barely there whisper.  “ _ You must never call me Mama.  I am not. _ ”

 

——

 

Tullk took some good natured ribbing about playing house at breakfast the next morning.  Whiskey and the pup sat with him at the officers’ table.  They both avoided eye contact with everyone.  The slaves that were eating at the same time as them all stared.

 

Whiskey was trying to get the pup to use the fork to eat his meat strips.  The boy was trying to shovel it in with both hands.

 

Stakar watched for a moment then said, “Just let the kid eat.  He can learn about cutlery some other time.”

 

Tullk stared at his Captain.  “I’m glad you said that in common, Boss.  If the boy eats that fast, he’ll just make himself sick and we’ll be cleaning half digested meat strips off the floor.”

 

Stakar’s lip curled in disgust.  “ _ Use the fork, son. _ ”

 

Both Whiskey and the boy froze.  The boy started to cry and hid his face in her chest.

 

Stakar sighed, “The sooner we can dump these boys in Xandarian territory, the better.”

 

By the time Whiskey helped the boy through his meat strips, her porridge was cold.  Tullk watched her force herself to swallow the first slimy mouthful.  He sighed, took her bowl and stood up.  She didn’t look at him, but stood, gathered up the his plate and the boys and bussed the rest of the table.

 

“ _ I’m sorry, Whiskey. _ ” the pup whispered, as he carried the abandoned coffee cups for her.  

 

She just nodded.  “ _ Next time they fed us, just try to use the fork, ok? _ ” was her whispered reply.

 

Tullk sat her down and gave her a new, hot bowl.  The look of shock and awe on their faces was… a little upsetting, actually.   The pup leaned hard against her as she quickly ate.  His nose twitched as he smelled her food.  If Tullk hadn’t been watching so closely he would have missed where she dipped her thumb in the bowl and slid her hand toward the boy.

 

Tullk’s arm shot out and grabbed her wrist at lighting speed.  She gave a little shriek in surprise and terror.  There was a commotion at one of the tables in the corner.  Tullk ignored it.  “ _ You aren’t in trouble.”  _ He thought it was important to open with that,  _ “but your breakfast is soybeans and lentils.  The boy can not digest that.  He can not eat is with out being very sick.  You can not feed him your food.  If he needs more food, tell me and I will get him more, but you can not share.  Do you understand?” _

 

She nodded.  He let go of her wrist.

 

Czar-doon was physically carrying the blue kid from the dining hall.  The kid was not going easily, flailing and kicking and clawing.

 

Tullk nodded at that.  “ _ Friend of yours?” _ he asked.

 

She didn’t say anything.

 

“ _ A lover perhaps? _ ”

 

Her eyes went wide at that, “ _ No!  No, master!  I am yours!  I would not! _ ”

 

O…kay, Tullk was going to have to deal with that soon, but not just now.  “ _ So who is he? _ ”

 

“ _ One of my children.  He was one of my children. _ ” she was shaking now, her eyes squeezed shut, her hands clenched in fists on the table.  

 

Tullk reached out and stroked her knuckles.  She relaxed her hands and pressed her palms flat on the table.  He looked around,  “ _ You aren't old enough for him to be one of your children. _ ”

 

“ _ He was in the first litter I raised in the crèche.  I have not seen him in many years.” _

 

“How can you be sure he is the same boy?”

 

Whiskey sighed and looked at the table. “ _ I spent months changing the bandages where they had peeled the skin from his spine.  I remember him.” _

 

Tullk considered this.  He waved at Andrei. “ _ This man will take you and the pup to where I work. You will be safe with him.” _

 

Whiskey nodded. 

 

Tullk followed Czar’s scent trail from the room.   He boy was in the brig. Czar was standing outside the door. Tullk nodded and opened the cell. Whatever he was going to say, he didn't get a chance. The boy sprung from his crouch and attacked as soon as the door opened. Tullk did not fight back. Czar watched as the boy bloodied his knuckles on Tullk and eventually knocked him to the ground.  When Tullk was obviously dead, Czar pulled the boy off of the body. 

 

“ _ Watch closely, boy, you will only be allowed to see this once. _ ”

 

Tullk's body spasmed and jerked, sucking in breath. The cuts and bruises healed.  He stood up.  _ “She is mine now.” _  He said, standing and wiping the blood from his face. “ _ But I take care of my things.  She will not be harmed.” _

 

The boy clearly did not believe this. He spat in Tullk's face. 

 

Czar laughed, still holding the boy. “He's a fighter, this one.”

 

“The woman says he is one of her children.”

 

Czar gave a low whistle. “That would explain a few things.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want all the comments!


	4. Naming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so excited that Write Like An American has given me permission to use their OC Doctor Mijo! Watch for that in upcoming chapters.

When Tullk got back to his office, Whiskey had set up in a corner and was playing with the pup. The boy was laying on his back and giggling as she tickled his tummy.   He would bat her hands away and smile up at her. “ _ Again!” _

 

Tullk laughed. The pup jumped up and hid against Whiskey’s chest. “ _ You're fine, lad. It's good to see you enjoying yourself.”  _

 

The pup peeked shyly at him and smiled before hugging Whiskey a little tighter. 

 

Tullk smiled at the boy, then turned his attention to Whiskey.  " _ Did you play with the boy with the peeled spine like that too? _ " he asked.

 

She swallowed and frowned and looked at the floor before closing her eyes and nodding.

 

" _ Do you remember his name? _ "

 

Whiskey shook her head, no.   _ "I never learn what designation they are given when they leave the creche. _ "

 

" _ Did he have a name in the creche?" _

 

Whiskey pressed her lips together and blushed purple.

 

It was the pup who whispered,  _ "We don't get names.  Most of us die.  There isn't any point wasting time learning a name." _

 

Tullk found yet another reason to hate the Kree Empire.  " _ Well, my lad, we will have to change that right now.  You are not going to die.  You are going to live and you need a name _ ."

 

The pup looked up excitedly.

 

Tullk looked at him carefully.  " _ What kind of name would you like, my boy? _ "

 

" _ Something scary.  Like Killer or Fighter. _ "

 

Tullk thought of the fighter in the brig.  " _ Nah.  I don't want you killing anyone.  Not 'til you're grown.  How about  _ Brawl?  _  It's a word from a far away land.  It means scrappy street fighting _ ."

 

" _ Brahl? _ " the boy asked.

 

" _ Close enough. _ "  Tullk said.  " _ What do you think? _ "

 

" _ I like it _ ."  Brahl said.

 

Tullk considered the conversation.  " _ How old are you _ , Brahl?"

 

" _ I'm four.  I will go into service next year. _ "

 

That gave Tullk pause.  Brahl was so small, so thin, he did not look big enough to be four.  There was nothing to Whiskey and yet Brahl was so small she could easily lift him with one arm.  ' _ No, lad.  You have to learn to read first. _ "

 

They stared at him.  It took him a moment, but he understood.  " _ Yes, it is illegal for Kree slaves to learn to read.  But you aren't slaves anymore.  I have adopted you.  You are my family now. _ "

 

Brahl beamed at him  Whiskey dropped her eyes.  She clearly did not believe him, that wasn't really surprising.  At that point people starting turn up with requisitions for parts and since the salvage crews have been stripping The Otava, they start signing in parts as well.  Tullk's team is well organized and efficient.  

 

After a couple of hours, he looked over and saw Whiskey holding a squirming Brahl.  " _ You can let him run, Whiskey. _ "

 

" _ I don't want him to get stomped on, _ Quartermaster Ul-zyn."

 

That gave him some pause, both that she had said 'stomped on' instead of 'stepped on' was an interesting choice of words.  Also that she had picked up his title in Common already.  " _ My team will be careful of him, Whiskey.  Small boys need to run and explore and learn. _ "

 

" _ Yes, _ Quartermaster Ul-zyn."

 

She let go of Brahl, but the boy did not bolt, he curled up in her lap and whispered, " _ I need to go to the toilet. _ "

 

" _ Ah! Right over there _ ." Ch'Kore pointed.

 

Whiskey took Brahl's hand and led him to the room Ch'Kore had pointed out.  Once they were out of earshot, Ch'Kore said, "The kid is going to need to eat again soon, and the girl could use a decent meal too."

 

Tullk nodded. "Go ask the cook for something."  He thought for a moment. "And take a snack down to the blue kid in the brig.  Not the slavers, mind.  Just the kid. Tell him the smiling man sent it."

 

"Sure thing, Boss.”

 

——

 

Y stared at the plate of grilled meat and fresh real vegetables.  He looked up at the furry faced man who had brought it.

 

" _ The Smiling Man sent it. _ "

 

Slaves were not allowed to question their owners.  This was not his owner, this was his thief.  " _ Why? _ "

 

The thief shrugged.  " _ He likes your girl and wants her to be happy.  I guess he thinks taking care of you will help with that. _ "

 

Y wanted to fling the plate at the thief, to slap the smile from his face, but he was not so angry that he was willing to waste food.  He ate.  He tried not to think about what had happened to W to pay for his meal.

 

——

 

Whiskey was snacking hesitantly on the plate of raw vegetables.  Brahl was learning how to eat raw eggs without making a mess.  Tullk was laughing so hard watching him.  She wasn't sure about the veg.  She had never had fresh before.  Was it supposed to be crunchy?  Usually veg, in her experience, was soft and/or slimy.  These tasted really good, it was just really weird.

 

Ch'Kore was watching her.  She was trying to keep her eyes down, but she needed to watch Brahl too.

 

" _ Not too sure about the food, huh? _ "

 

She looked up.  Tullk was looking at her now, too.

 

'Thank you Assistant Ch'Kore  _ for bringing me food _ .  Thank you Quartermaster Ul-zyn  _ for allowing me to be fed _ ."

 

Brahl stopped and looked at her.  He repeated after her, and beamed at the men.

 

Ch'Kore smiled at her.  " _ Your friend wasn't too sure about the grub either.  I thought he would throw it at me for a moment. _ "

 

Tullk was watching.  Whiskey did not look up, but her face was confused for a moment.  He could see exactly when understanding dawned.  Then she looked at him and searched his face for a moment.  He wasn't sure what she found there, but she ducked her head again and whispered, "Thank you Quartermaster Ul-zyn _ for allowing him to be fed _ ."

 

Ch'Kore laughed.  _  "Nah. The blue bastard would get fed no matter what.  Everyone eats on the Ogords' ships.  Tullk just arranged an extra snack is all." _

 

Whiskey nodded absentmindedly.

 

Tullk decided to try again.  " _ You're friend is in the brig for trying to hurt you, twice. _ "

 

Whiskey nodded her understanding but didn't say anything.

 

" _ I don't want him in the brig, I want him for our crew _ ."

 

He could see her thinking about that.  " _ How do we get him to behave? _ "

 

" _ I don't know _ ."

 

Tullk sighed.   _ "At some point, I'm going to have to go talk to him about whether he can stay here with us or not.  Do you want him to stay? _ "

 

Whiskey closed her eyes,  _ "I can not pay for him to stay here. _ "

 

Tullk felt a little sick at that.  " _ That wasn't what I asked, lass _ ."

 

" _ I would like him to live where he will be fed and not beaten. _ "

 

Ch'Kore had been listening.  " _ We are fed and not beaten and we are given money to spend _ ."

 

" _ You are not slaves. _ "

 

" _ If you stay on this ship, than neither are you.  Neither is he _ ." Tullk said.  "Ravagers d _ on't have slaves.  It's part of our _ ..." how did he explain code in Kree? " _ Culture _ ."

 

She ran her hand over her neck, where her collar wasn't.  The skin was thicker and calloused.

 

" _ Everyone get's a name.  Everyone gets fed.  We take care of each other. _ "

 

" _ We steal from everyone, but not each other! _ " Ch'Kore added happily.

 

Whiskey watched them but didn't say anything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make the writing happen!


	5. Care

 

With his belly so full of eggs, it was slightly distended, the newly named Brahl curled up in Whiskey's lap and fell asleep.  Tullk smiled at him and nodded to her, " _ You should sleep too, if you can _ ."

 

Whiskey nodded and wedged herself a little tighter in the corner by the bulkhead.  Pretty soon she was sleeping too.

 

Ch'Kore looked at Tullk.  "If you are serious about keeping them, you'll have to get Doc Mijo to have a look."

 

Tullk gave a wry grin.  "Oh, that's gonna be great fun."

 

Stakar came by to do inventory before lunch.  "We have seventy who are expected to make it, that includes your two, plus the one in the brig.  We put the collars on the slavers and hacked the Kree registry server to adjust the records to match."  He and Tullk grinned at each other.  "There are about twenty ex-slaves that I would like to keep.  The others will be dropped as refugees in Razk 4.  They'll be Xandarians before the year is out."

 

Tullk nodded.

 

Ch'Kore cleared his throat.  "What about the boy in the brig?  Razk 4 would be a death sentence for him."

 

Stakar shook his head.  "The boy is Centarian.  He'll end up in a breeding colony."

 

"At a zoo." Ch'Kore said flatly.

 

Stakar shrugged.  "Unless you can figure out how to integrate him into the crew, I don't see how we have a choice."

 

Tullk considered this.  "How long until Razk 4?"

 

"Maybe five days." 

 

"If we stop to sell the slavers before we get to Xandarian space, it could be eight days."

 

Stakar nodded.  "It could be.  You have a plan?"

 

"Not yet."  Tullk smirked.

 

——

 

Tullk made sure the boy was once again in the dining hall while Whiskey was eating.  He even arranged so that they could sit where they could see each other.  With several tables of Ravagers between them, or course.

 

The boy stared at her.  Whiskey focused on feeding Brahl and eating her own lunch.  As they were getting up bus their dishes, the boy made a weird chirping warble call.  For a moment, Whiskey smiled a small but genuine smile.  Her face lit up and she looked a decade younger.  She made some gesture with her fingers and the boy relaxed a little and finished eating his lunch.

 

Andrei watched all of this, then asked the boy, “ _ What was that about? _ ”

 

The kid glared at him, like Andrei had just insulted his mother, which ship rumour suggested he might have done.  “ _ We are a bunch of pirates lad.  I wouldn’t trust most of us as far as you can throw us.  Tullk, though, he is OLD.  He has patience.  Your girl will be safe with him. _ ”

 

Y turned to the man and looked to see if he was lying.  If he was, he as really good at it.

 

——

 

After lunch, Tullk put Brahl in charge of sorting bolts, not really caring if it was done correctly or not.  Nonetheless, the pup took it very, very seriously.   Whiskey was given a dusting job. Odin knew there were miles of dust covered shelves for her to tackle. Tullk made a point of just giving here one section to dust and organize. She nodded solemnly. 

 

“ _ This whole place is a mess.  I'm not expecting miracles. Any little bit better would be appreciated. _ ”  Tullk watched her as he said this. He wanted her to know it was not a do or die situation but not let her know he was giving her busy work.  It was a fine line to walk. “ _ Take as much time as you need. The dust will still be here tomorrow. _ ”

 

She nodded again. She organized Brahl so that he was sorting where she could see him. She put on the dust mask Tullk gave her and set to work. 

 

Tullk made her stop for a snack when Brahl finished sorting.  She washed her hands and made Brahl do the same before eating.  Tullk considered her as she ate.  “ _ You will need to get cleaned up before supper.  I could find a female to take you to the showers, but it would be someone new.  Or you could come with me and Brahl and we will just take turns. _ ”

 

Whiskey didn't say anything to that she just kept her head down.

 

Sluuffon was watching.  “ _ I can take her. _ ”

 

“Whiskey?  It’s up to you.”

 

_ “I will do as I’m told,  _ Quartermaster Ul-zyn. _ ” _

 

Sluuffon looked thoughtful at that.  “ _ OK, honey, you come with me, and we can try out some pretty soaps and things.  See if we can’t find you something other than coveralls to wear. _ ”

 

Whiskey nodded.  “ _ I will continue cleaning until it is time to stop. _ ”

 

Tullk looked at her.  " _ It is time to stop, Whiskey _ .   _ You have a new job now. It’s called self-care. _ ”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

Sluuffon smiled sadly.  “ _ It’s OK.  I’ll help. _ ”

 

——

 

Sluuffon did not take Whiskey directly to the showers.  They went to her room for soap first.  That was were Whiskey met Tucheer and Nekkass.   They, like Sluuffon, were green, hairless and well muscled.  Sluutton introduced Whiskey and explained that she was working in Stores and taking care of Tullk’s new pup.  They seemed friendly enough.

 

Discussion about showers led to the decision to collect Qewgin.

 

Whiskey was listening politely and trying to remember everyone’s name.

 

“Qewgin is Krylorian.  She will have something to brush your hair.”  Sluuffon explained.

 

Whiskey ran her hand over her head.  It had been shaved before she boarded the ship.  Her hair was only as long as the tip of her thumb.  It wouldn’t need brushing yet, but she knew better than to contradict.

 

Qewgin had pink skin and burgundy hair and big violet eyes.  She came along too.  The women had a nice visit in the showers, gossiping about work in Kree and trying to include Whiskey in the conversation.  Whiskey followed Qewgin’s lead in hair and skin washing.  Afterwards, Tucheer asked if she could do Whiskey’s nails.

 

Whiskey agreed without any understanding.  It was odd.  She had seen fancy ladies who came to collect house girls with painted nails, but she had not expected that for herself.  Tucheer carefully trimmed and cleaned Whiskey’s nails, both on her fingers and on her toes.  Then she rubbed lotion into Whiskey’s hands and feet.  Whiskey fought to hold still for it.  It was wrong having a person do this for her, but the women were so excited to do it.

 

Then she understood.  “ _ This is for Tullk. _ ”

 

They all stopped talking and looked at her.  She blushed and looked down.

 

“ _ What was that, honey? _ ” Sluuffon asked.

 

They all waited, so she had to explain, “ _ I did not understand why you were doing this.  I am stupid.  I did not understand it is so that my hands are soft for when I touch Tullk. _ ”

 

They were all staring at her looking shocked.

 

“ _ No, honey _ .”  Sluuffon said.  “ _ This is because we are Ravagers and you are one of us now.  We take care of each other. _ ”

 

“ _ You want me to take care of your hands? _ ”

 

They all shook their heads.  Nekkass was watching Whiskey thoughtfully.  “ _ Were there other women you worked with before you came here, Whiskey? _ ”

 

Whiskey nodded, cautiously.

 

“ _ Were you friends with them? _ ”

 

Whiskey just stared at her.

 

Sluuffon decided to give it a try.  “ _ You take care of the littles who don’t understand what to do, right?  Well, now you are the new person who doesn’t understand.  Just let us take care of you. _ ”

 

——

 

Tullk got Brahl cleaned up.  Then he found Charlie-27 and headed to the brig.  

"You sure you want to bring the pup for this?" Charlie asked.

"Yes."  Tullk said firmly. 

The kid was sitting on the floor, staring at nothing.  Charlie looked down at him.  “He doesn’t look like much.”

 

“ _ She claims him as one of her children. _ ” Tullk said.

 

The boy twitched at that.

 

“ _ Under other circumstances, he would make a good guard for her.  Someone she trusts. _ ”

 

“ _ Except that he keeps trying to attack her _ .” Charlie pointed out.

 

“ _ Well, now, to be fair, he hasn’t actually attacked her.  He just keeps trying to get to her _ .”  Tullk argued.

 

Charlie snorted, “ _ In an extremely threatening manner.” _

 

_ “Yes.”   _ Tullk sighed.  _  “If I want him to eat at our table…” _

 

“I can keep him from hurting your girl.” 

 

“Thanks, Charlie.”

 

——

 

For thieves, Y thought, this were a pretty soft bunch.  The big guy, the smiling man and the pup had taken him to the showers.  While that had initially been worrisome, he had been told to wash and given a clean coverall.  That was just ridiculous!  He only bin wearin’ this one two days.

 

There were no sign of W.

 

Once they were all cleaned up, he was taken to the mess hall and given a plate of food.  He weren’t gonna complain about that none. People at the table were talkin’ Kree so he could understand them.  That just meant he were hearin’ what they wanted him to hear.

 

W came in with three lizard people and a Krylorian.  It were hard to tell with the lizards, but the Krylorian was definitely female.

 

The pup wiggled out of the smiling man’s arms and ran over to W.  She scooped him up and cuddled him close.  Y remembered doing that.  The way she smelled.  Like safe.  She had always been kind to him, quiet, gentle, whispering comfort in the dark when he woke from nightmares.  Most of the women in the creche had been nasty, mean bitches who treated the children like they were disposable.  W had always been kind, to him and his brothers.

 

Brothers!  Ha!  That were a joke.  He never seen those boys again.  And W had taked mor’ an one good smack for calling ‘em that.  He wondered idly if they had beaten that out of her in the almost twenty years since he had seen her.

 

Watching her carry the pup over to the table….  it didn’t look like it.

 

The smiling man brought her food and carefully took the pup so she could eat.  The squaller wasn’t as comfortable with the smiling man, but he weren’t too afeard neither.

 

Y watched the whole thing with narrowed eyes.  W was uneasy, but tryin' to hide it.

 

The man with the glowing strips on his jacket came over and stood behind Y.  He put his hands on his shoulders.

 

“ _ It’s Whiskey, right? _ ”

 

She nodded.

 

“ _ You’re staying with Tullk? _ ”

 

Nod.

 

“ _ He fucked you? _ ”

 

Her head snapped up. The table went silent.

 

“ _ Just tell me the truth.  Has he had sex with you? _ ”

 

She dropped her eyes and whispered, “ _ No, sir. _ ”

 

“ _ Has he touched you?  Stuck any of his parts in you? _ ”

 

Head shake.

 

“ _ He make you touch him? _ ”

 

“ _ No, sir. _ ”

 

“ _ Are you lying to me? _ ”

 

She squeezed her eyes shut tight and shook her head.  “ _ No, he hasn’t touched me. _ ”

 

“ _ Good.  That’s not why you’re here.  What is your job, Whiskey? _ ”

 

“ _ I look after the boy.  I dust the store room. _ ”

 

“ _ That’s your job.  You aren’t here as a comfort woman.  Anyone touches you, I’ll kill them myself. Do you understand? _ ”

 

Nod.

 

“ _ OK.  Now, can you get your boy to stop glaring at my crew like we’ve been raping his mom? _ ”

 

Her head snapped up and she made eye contact with Y for the first time in almost twenty years.  She gave him the careful smile that he remembered.

 

“ _ It’s OK.  We’re gonna be ok. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!


	6. History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets dark. Referenced past rape. Referenced dub con medical. Implied child abuse. We experience the word "Mama" as a trigger word for Y. If you want to skip this chapter, I will try to include a summary of the important bits at the beginning of the next one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Thank You to Write Like An American for letting me use Doc Mojo and for some pointers about her backstory.

Whiskey had been cleaning the store room for five days, she hadn’t even made a dent in the amount of dust.  She had made some progress though, the pup, Brahl was sleeping through the night.  Y was still eating with them at every meal.  He had gone from watching everything in murderous rage to merely hating everyone.  He still wasn’t talking yet.

 

Women’s showers were an everyday thing.  That was odd, but given how filthy she was at the end of a day of cleaning, she was grateful.    There was much gossip in the showers.  Y had been named Blue.  He was sleeping in the Captain’s room.  Having the Captain’s woman - Aleta, her name was Aleta - corner her in the shower one day was not something Whiskey had been prepared for.

 

She sure as hell wasn’t prepared for Aleta to say:

 

“Every night, when I go to sleep I watch your boy plotting to kill my husband in his sleep.  It is just the cutest thing!”

 

Whiskey sighed and went to change her bucket of wash water again.  She poured it through the microfilter and waited for it to come out the other side clean.  Brahl was sitting near the shelves she was working on with a tablet for learning the local language.  Whiskey was picking some of it up my osmosis.  She was pretty sure the thing was teaching the boy to read at the same time.  She was just ignoring that.  Tullk had some quirks about pretending they were people.

 

“ _ What’s on the next shelf, sweetie? _ ” she called to the pup.

 

“ _ Something cloth.  Maybe clothes? _ ” Brahl answered.

 

  1.  That wouldn’t need the wash bucket, she would just take them all to the laundry.



 

——

 

Tullk heard Brahl screaming and ran over.  It took a while to find them.  Whiskey was hugging him tight whispering that it was ok and he needed to be quiet.  That was never a good sign.

 

“ _ What happened? _ ”  he asked.

 

The pup looked at the ground avoiding eye contact.

 

“ _ It’s fine,  _ Quartermaster Ul-zyn _.  I just found an orlani nest.  They startled us, that’s all. _ ”

 

“Are you alright, Brahl?”  Tullk asked in common.  The boy nodded but still wouldn’t look at him.  Whiskey was hiding her left hand in her right arm pit.

 

“Is Whiskey alright?”  Brahl shivered but didn’t answer.

 

“I’m fine.” She said.

 

“What aren’t you telling me?”

 

“Nothing.  I’m fine.  I can still work.”

 

“Show me your hand.”

 

She hesitantly did.  There was a chunk missing from her thumb.   _ “It’s just …  I’m fine.  I can still work.  I can still be useful.” _ There was a kind of desperation in her voice that worried him.

 

“I know you can still work, but we will need the doctor to clean that up and bandage it.”

 

She whimpered, but got control of herself and nodded.

 

——

 

Doc Mijo looked at Whiskey’s hand.  “Orlani bites are nasty.  They get infected so fast.  But don’t worry, girl.  I’ll get you sorted out.”

 

Tullk translated.

 

“And we’ll get you a translator chip while you’re here.”  Mijo added firmly.

 

Tullk translated that too.

 

Whiskey blanched, she took an involuntary step back.  Then she gave Tullk a hurt look.

 

_ “What? _ ” he asked.

 

_ “Please don’t let her cut into my brain!” _  Whiskey sobbed.

 

Mijo blinked.  It was impressive.  The inner two eyes blinking first and then a ripple effect as the outer two sets lagged a fraction of a second behind.  She poked at the controls for the chip behind her ear.   _ “I’m not going to cut into your brain.  I install the chip in your mastoid air cells,” _ she stopped and tried again, _ “in your skull behind your ear.  The leads are self guiding.  They find where they need to go.” _

 

Whiskey did not look reassured.  Tullk squeezed her hand.   _ “It will be OK.  Mijo’s a good doctor.” _

 

_ “Yes.  I am.  Which is why I’m not installing anything without your consent.  We’ll get that thumb bandaged up and I’ll give you some antibiotics and anti parasite meds.  Then you can be on your way until you are ready for a translator.”  _ Mijo looked thoughtful for a moment.   _ “Tullk, you can wait outside.” _

 

Once he left, she fixed Whiskey with a very unblinking stare.   _ “While you are here, I want your medical history.”  _ she said firmly.

 

“I don’t know what that is.”

 

“Tell me about times you have seen a doctor.”

 

Whiskey just looked blankly at her for a moment.

 

“OK.  Have you ever received medical treatment?”

 

“I have all my shots, I think.  Someone would come around every couple of years to do that.”

 

Mijo made a note of that.  “ _ Anything else you can think of that I would need to know? _ ”

 

Whiskey considered this.  “ _ You mean the pregnancies? _ ”

 

Mijo blinked again.  “ _ Yes?  How many? _ ”

 

“ _ Four.  But, _ ” Whiskey added quickly, “ _ the creche mama always made sure none of them were born. _ ”

 

Mijo froze.  She didn’t really want to ask the next question, but it was her job.  “ _ And how did that work? _ ”

 

“ _ Mama had medicine for that.  As long as she found out in the first couple of months. _ ”

 

“Did she tell you which medicine?”

 

“No?”

 

“What did the medicine do?”

 

“It made my stomach hurt, then I bled a lot, then the baby came out.  They were always really tiny when it happened.  Smaller than my hand. After the last one, I bled a lot.  Much more than usual.  When I woke up Mama told me I didn't have to worry about it anymore.  I wasn’t going to have any more babies.  I’m not a valuable species.  She didn’t need me to reproduce.”

 

“What about the fathers?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You didn't get pregnant on your own, Whiskey.”

 

“Oh!   They were Kree.  Sometimes when the ladies come to pick out house children, they bring their husbands.  It takes awhile to fill out the paperwork and sometimes…  The husbands get bored.”

 

“So… you were raped because someone was bored?”

 

Whiskey shivered.   _ “It wasn’t rape.  Only ladies can be raped.  I am a slave.  I do as I’m told.  Besides, at least if they were playing with me, it kept them off the kids.” _

 

——

 

Stakar walked in on Tullk masturbating in the shower.  He politely waited for the man to finish.  Once Tullk was panting with his head resting on the wall, Stakar disrobed and turned on a shower across the room.

 

“So,” he said in an off hand manner, “Whiskey, huh?”

 

“Aye.  And the worst part is she would if I asked her.”

 

“Is it the submissive thing?  Because that girl has no bumpers to rub up against.”

 

“Nah.  I have a caregiver kink.  I watch her takin’ care of the pup, of my team, hell Stakar, she tries to mother me.”  Tullk laughed.  “Watching a woman like that, I just want to tip her back, spread her open and make her cum ’til she can’t even think.”

 

Stakar considered this.  “Not something you can get from a quick visit to The Iron Lotus then.”

 

Tullk, gave a wry grin.  “No.”

 

——

 

Mijo cornered the boy in the hallway.   _ “Your mama just turned down a translator implant.” _

 

“Don’t call her that.”

 

“So, since I have a spare, do you want it?”

“What I have to do to get it?”

 

“Stop thinking like a slave and start being part of the crew.”

 

The boy said nothing.

 

“ _ You think your mama wants you to be a slave your whole life? _ ”

 

“Don’t call her that.”

 

“Wouldn’t she be happier you turned Ravager than stayed a battle slave your whole, short life?”

 

He didn’t respond, other than clenching his jaw and his fists.

 

“ _ Come on, boy!  Stand tall!  Be free!  Do your Mama proud! _ ”

 

The rage that enveloped him was like a red mist.  He didn’t remember hitting the doctor.  Or knocking her to the ground and breaking her leg.  He didn’t remember punching until his knuckles bled.

 

What he did remember was Whiskey screaming, “ _ Yondu! No! _ ” and pulling him off the woman.

 

He remembered running.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Need comments. This time especially. I wrote and deleted a whole section about Yondu's being abused as a child soldier. Whiskey's story was hard to write. I'm taking it as given that the Kree don't see their slaves as people. Historically speaking, sexual abuse goes hand in hand with that. 
> 
> I promise this is the low point of the story. Yondu has now hit rock bottom. Time to start dragging him out of the pit.


	7. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More hints about Yondu and Whiskey's past. Stakar has to deal with the mess.

His name was Yondu.  He had forgotten that.  She was the only one who had used that name.  In whispered cuddles in the night so Mama wouldn’t hear her. Gentle fingers stroking his back.  Wiping tears away after he had gotten noticed.

 

Fuck.  He was a fully trained and deployed battle slave.  Why was he still afraid of that horrible woman?

 

Because he could still feel her hands holding him down while-

 

“ _ NO! _ ” No.  He wasn’t going to think about that.

 

——

 

Whiskey watched Yondu rabbit away. She tried to get the Doctor up.  It wasn’t working.  They were only just around the corner from the med bay.  She went to get help.  

 

The Doctor’s assistant was a big guy with four arms.   He carried Mijo back to the med bay.  He gave her an injection and when her body went limp, he pulled her leg straighter and gave more injections into the bone.

 

Whiskey helped him clean Mijo up.

 

Tullk and Stakar came to get Whiskey and found out what had happened.  

 

“Who did this?” Stakar demanded.

 

Whiskey jumped, but kept her head down and said nothing, she moved out of the way.

 

Milo opened most of her eyes and tried to focus on him.  She gave a dry laugh.  “It looks like I found out how to activate a battle slave.”

 

“I’m going to kill him.”

 

“No.  You are not.  He repeatedly told me to stop and I ignored him.”  She hesitated.  “There were other signs I should have noticed as well.”

 

“We aren’t going blame the victim here, Mijo.” Tullk said cautiously.

 

“Exactly.  I was playing with a loaded blaster with the safety off.  You can’t blame the gun for doing what it was made to do.”

 

Stakar hesitated.  “He’s not a gun, Mijo.”

 

“He doesn’t believe he is a person anymore than she does.”  Mijo nodded to Whiskey, who was sitting hunched on the floor in the corner of the room looking at nothing, clearly waiting to be punished.

 

——

 

In the end, Tullk had taken Whiskey back to Stores like nothing had happened.  Stakar had sent out a crew wide alert that they were looking for Blue, but that he was to be approached with caution.

 

It was hours before they found him, and even then it was by accident.  Czar-doon was collecting the slavers because they had reached a trading outpost and found the boy in his cell in the brig.

 

He was sitting, curled into a ball in the corner.  Czar would have missed him, except that one of the slavers had seen the boy and ordered him to attack.  The kid just curled up a little tighter.

 

Czar considered this.  Then he closed the cell door and kept the prisoners moving.

 

——

 

Tullk watched Whiskey sitting on the floor with Brahl in her lap.  He was excitedly showing her how to use the language tablet.  She was… distracted.

 

He got out the next dose of her pain medication and went over to her.

 

“Whiskey?  I’m sorry, but I need you to give me your hand.”

 

She nodded, she squeezed her eyes shut tight and held it out. Tears dripped out from under her lids.

 

Brahl was watching.  He started to cry.  Her eyes snapped open.  She gave him a smile.  “ _ It’s OK.  You just cuddle me up.  It will be fine. _ ”  She pulled him close and hid his face in her chest, putting her hand on the back on his head so he couldn’t look.  She swallowed and closed her eyes again, then nodded at Tullk as she clenched her jaw.

 

Moving carefully.  Tullk peeled the med patch off her wrist and applied the new one.  Then he backed away.  Whiskey was still rigid with fear.  “ _ All done. _ ” he said.

 

She gave him a look of confusion.

 

_ “Brahl? _ ”  Tullk said, “ _ Why don’t you go check on Ch’Kore? _ ”

 

The pup climbed out of Whiskey’s lap.  “ _ Are you going to hurt her? _ ” he asked.

 

Tullk opened his mouth to speak, but Whiskey was faster.   _ “There was a bad thing that happened today.   _ Quartermaster Ul-zyn  _ is going to make sure that I understand that it was a bad thing so it doesn’t happen again.  He is teaching me so that I can learn.” _

 

Tullk caught the boy’s hand.  “ _ No.  I am not going to hurt her.  I am going to try to explain that.  There was a bad thing that happened today, but it wasn’t Whiskey’s fault and I want to tell her that I am not mad at her and that I am not going to hurt her.” _

 

Brahl considered this.  “ _ Mama breaks our fingers when we are bad. _ ”

 

Tullk felt sick.

 

Whiskey said, “ _ She doesn’t break our fingers!  She just pulls the joints crooked.  They can be put back. _ ”

 

“ _ Alright!  That is not going to happen here!  Ever!  I promise! _ ”

 

He wasn’t sure either of them believed him.

 

——

 

Stakar stood in the doorway of the cell looking at the boy.  He sighed.

 

“ _ Did I…. Is she.. _ ”  he trailed off into silence.

 

“ _ She’ll live. _ ”

 

The boy shivered at that.   _ “I did this.  W had… Whiskey had no part in it.  I know yur gonna kill me, but don’t…. please let her live. _ ”

 

“ _ Tullk said she was expecting him to break her fingers over what happened. _ ”

 

The boy nodded.  “ _ That’s fair.  Just… please don’t let it get too much worse than that. _ ”

 

“ _ How do you see that as fair? _ ”

 

The boy started breathing faster.

 

“ _ What I mean is, Whiskey had no part in this.  How is it fair that she should be punished at all? _ ”

 

The boy turned to look at him at that.  There was no understanding on his face.  Stakar sighed again.  “ _ Your punishment is that you will work in the med bay doing whatever they need you to do until Mijo is able to return to her duties. _ ”

 

Still staring in disbelief, he nodded hesitantly.  “ _ Then you get rid of me? _ ”

 

“ _ Then we figure out the next thing.  C’mon, you need to get cleaned up for supper.  It will upset people if you turn up for dinner covered in blood. _ ”

 

——

 

While Y was amazed that he was not being molested in the shower, Whiskey was several floors away with Sluuffon carefully wrapping her bandaged hand in waterproofing so she could have a shower. 

 

“ _ I can help you rinse out your hair, if you want, but we have to be careful to keep this dry.  Orloni bites are nasty.  You don’t want it to get infected. _ ”

 

Whiskey shivered.  “ _ I…  Can I try to do it myself first? _ ”

 

“ _ Sure!  I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do, Whiskey. _ ”  Sluuffon hesitated.  “ _ That thing that Tullk said about not hurting you.  He means it.  We all do.  Anyone hurts you, I’ll kick their ass.  We are Ravagers, we take care of each other. _ ”

 

Whiskey nodded.  It was hard to get scrubbed up with one hand, but she was able to do it.  She got herself dressed and hesitated.  She could do this herself, but… “ _ Could you help me brush my hair? _ ”

 

“ _ Of course! _ ”

 

Whiskey sighed.  It was nice feeling someone carefully comb the tangles out of her short hair.  The thing about the gang showers was that it was very clear that most of the woman in them were relatively unscarred.  They may occasionally turn up with the odd bruise, but it was more of the bumped into something variety.  She had been here for five days and hadn’t seen any sign of any of the many women she had met being punished.  Mind you, none of them had slave collars.  But she didn’t anymore either and she hadn’t seen them on anyone.

 

She rubbed her hand absentmindedly over the callus around her neck.

 

“ _ That will fade, eventually _ .” Sluuffon said.

 

Whiskey looked at her.  Sluuffon’s skin got a darker green.  “ _ Ch’Kore had one when he got here too.  His is gone now. _ ”

 

“ _ How do you know it is gone? _ ”

 

“ _ Um….  we…. spend some time together. _ ”

 

Whiskey considered this.  Ch’Kore was large and furry.  Sluuffon was lean and lizard like.  They did not match, but…  “ _ Oh. _ ”  She thought about that some more.  “ _ How does that work? _ ”

 

“ _ Really, really well. _ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment


	8. Wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yondu's name

Whiskey was happily surprised to see Yondu at supper.  No.  His name was Blue now.  She had to remember that.  She had already messed that up once today.  That was enough.

 

She sat in her regular spot between Tullk and Brahl, who technically mostly sat on her lap.  He was too small to reach the table without a little boost.  She wasn’t sure how big his species grew, but she had been surprised to learn he was four.  Perhaps he was just destined to be small.

 

Yon - Blue was not pleased to see her.  He was frowning really hard.  She ducked her head. 

 

Aleta came and sat in Brahl’s seat.  “ _ What happened to your hand, Whiskey? _ ” she asked gently.

 

“ _ It’s Ok.  I can still work. _ ”  Whiskey responded automatically.  Across the table Blue tensed further.

 

Aleta ignored that.  “ _ Can you show me what happened? _ ” she continued.

 

Whiskey held out her hand.  " _ I found an orlani nest this morning.  One of them bit me.  The doctor - _ “ she stopped for a moment, “ _ \- I got antibiotics and anti parasite meds for it.  It doesn’t hurt.” _

 

Aleta unwrapped the bandages and had a look.  It was quite a good sized bite. “ _ It doesn’t hurt because you have this patch here, _ ” she touched the narcotics patch on Whiskey’s wrist.  “ _ You will have to be careful, because it is quite badly injured, even if it doesn’t hurt.  You will not be able to clean the store room until this is healed. _ ”

 

Whiskey, swallowed then nodded.

 

“I hear you don’t want a translator chip.”

 

“I will do as I’m told, ma’am.”

 

“I know you will, Whiskey.  That's why your new job is learning to speak Common.”

 

——

 

He hated working in the sick bay.  It was all run and fetch and clean and carry.  The only good part of the day was when Whiskey came in to get her bandages changed.  Of course Mijo wouldn't just let that go either.  

 

“ _ You called him Yondu _ .” It was the first thing she said when Whiskey came in. 

 

“ _ She's the only one who calls me that.” _ he said firmly. 

 

“ _ Why?” _

 

He stared at Mijo. 

 

“ _ Why does she call you that?” _

 

“It was his name when he came to the crèche. We aren't supposed to name the children, but he already was named when he came.”

 

They both stared at her. She blushed purple and looked away. 

 

_ “I don't remember that.” _  Yondu said. 

 

“You were very small.  You didn't speak Kree, you spoke something else. I had to teach you. You were very small and very injured.  I didn't think if you would live. I didn't want you to die without a name so I remembered it for you.”

 

“It's really my name?”

 

Whiskey nodded.  “Yondu Udonta.”

 

_ “Do you have a secret name?” _  Mijo asked. 

 

Whiskey shook her head.  “ _ I was born in the crèche. I am not a valuable species. No one ever wanted me.  So I stayed and took care of the children.  Yondu was the first. I was twelve.  I had been helping for six years, but he was the first I was responsible for on my own.”  _  She thought for a moment.  “ _ But I have a name now.” _

 

Mijo taught Yondu how to clean Whiskey’s injury and how to rebandage it. Then Whiskey was sent back to take care of Brahl and Yondu was given the important job of mopping the floor. 

 

——

 

Two days after Yondu started working in the med bay, The DryDock reached Razk 4.  Stakar unloaded the ‘refugees.’  He reluctantly did not include Yondu. 

 

Mijo had insisted he stay.  “If I can trigger him, so can some unsuspecting Xandarian and Whiskey won’t be there to call him off.  The boy stays.”

 

Stakar knew there was no arguing with her when she got like that.

 

It didn’t help that Aleta agreed.

 

Charlie admitted the kid was growing on him too.

 

“Like a fungus.” suggested Stakar.

 

Charlie laughed.  “Maybe.  But you got give the kid some credit.  He was willing to take us all on to save him mama.”

 

“Stick with mom.  It’s a safer description.”

 

Once the refugees were dumped, there was a two week trip to Knowhere to sell the scrap metal that was all that was left of the Otava. 

 

Yondu didn't make it that long before asking for a Translator.  Whiskey, on the other hand, was still doggedly learning the old fashioned way.  Tullk wasn’t complaining because she was accidentally learning to read at the same time.

 

She had been there a couple of weeks the first time Tullk noticed her watching someone.  Until that point, he had only ever caught her with her eye line demurely downcast.  But this time, when he looked over to check on her, she was watching Sluuffon and Ch'Kore talking.  It was only for a moment,  then she dropped her gaze, but it was new.  If Tullk hadn’t been watching her carefully for any signs of change, he would have missed that.  As it was, he would take any tiny bit of progress he could.

 

He didn't need to sleep that much.  A couple of hours a night was plenty.  He also didn’t need much light to see, so he spent his nights reading old fashioned paper books in his room.  That and alternately watching Whiskey and Brahl sleep.  The pup had nightmares when he first arrived.  Whiskey was awake and comforting him every couple of hours.  But now Brahl was sleeping through the night and Whiskey was still waking up every couple of hours.

 

It had taken Tullk longer than it should have to realize she was having nightmares of her own.

 

He started telling her she was safe every time she woke up.  “It’s ok, Whiskey.  You are safe.  No one is gonna hurt you.”  He said that several times a night.  He also started making a point of telling her that she was doing a good job of learning Common, of taking care of the boy.

 

The other people working in stores joined in.

 

Sluuffon was the first person he heard talk to Whiskey about being allow to decide for herself.  He started encouraging that as well.

 

The first time, it was over something stupid and inconsequential.  What kind of sandwich to have to lunch.  But it was the first time he remembered her making a choice based on preference rather than what she thought the right answer was going to be.

 

That night when she was tucking in, he made a point of telling her he was proud of that.

 

“At lunch, when you asked for the chicken sandwich instead-“ the smell of her fear flared “- I know that was hard for you.  I know it is hard to ask for things when you were not allowed to do that before.  I am so glad that you trust us enough to ask.  I know it was hard, but I am so proud that you were brave enough to do it anyway.”

 

She gave a little sob, then nodded and a little of that underlying fear melted away.

 

He remembered Terra.  His children trying to tame feral cats.  Whiskey had the same level of distrust, but will all of the hide and none of the fight.  And she was really good at hiding her fear, or at least ignoring it so that she could work.

 

The next stop after Knowhere was Contraxia.  And by that point Whiskey’s orlani bite had healed. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please. I am working toward Tullk having meaningless bot sex in Chapter 10.


	9. Shopping

Whiskey was aware that they were stopping at Contraxia.  By sitting quietly and paying attention, she was even aware of what kind of place it was.  Her common was better than people thought it was and she heard things they likely won't have said, if they knew she understood.

 

She knew Stakar was hoping to take Tullk to “get laid.”  As euphemisms went, it wasn’t difficult to figure out.

 

She was hoping she would be allowed to stay on the ship.

 

Sluuffon didn’t say anything when Whiskey admitted that as the women were showering and getting ready to disembark.  

 

Nekkass was disappointed.  “ _ C’mon, Whiskey!  We will take you to get new clothes that actually fit!  And some proper boots, you can’t just wear those slippers all the time.  If nothing else, you need some decent underwear!” _

 

Whiskey swallowed.   _ “I don’t have money for boots and I’m not brave enough to ask Tullk for money for underwear.” _

 

The room went quiet.  Qewgin asked, “ _ Wait!  You’ve been working in stores for a month.  Haven’t you gotten paid?” _

 

Whiskey didn’t point out that she was a slave and therefore did not get paid.  She had learned that those sorts of statements just upset people.  “ _ I haven’t been able to work because of my hand.  I likely owe money for food and uniforms and the bandages and the Common lessons.” _

 

This seemed to upset people anyway.  Tucheer suggested, “ _ You were injured on the job, you should get hazard pay.” _

 

Sluuffon got dressed and then went to find Tullk.  “Whiskey needs clothes and proper shoes instead of those slippers and things.”

 

“I know.  I’ll take her.  Don’t worry.”

 

“Some of the girls and I are going shopping, we’ll take her, but she doesn’t have a credit chip.”

 

Tullk hesitated.

 

“Tullk, do you really think she is going to be ok with you taking her to buy panties?”

 

To her surprise, the unflappable quartermaster looked decidedly uncomfortable.  “Brahl needs clothes too.  I was going to take them both.”

 

“Brahl won’t be shopping in the same stores as Whiskey.  If she comes with us, you will have less work.”

 

Tullk considered this.

 

“Please?  We’ll pick up the kid at 5 and bring them back to the ship.  That way you can still have a night of debauchery with the boys.”

 

“What about girls night?”

 

“We’ll want to come back to the ship and get pretty before going out.  Whiskey and Brahl can stay here when we go out.  She won’t want to go drinking anyway.”

 

“Fine.  It’s against my better judgement, but fine.”  He dug in his pockets.  “Think five thousand units will be enough to get her shoes and panties?”

 

Sluuffon grinned, “We'll, manage somehow.”

 

——

 

Talking Whiskey into coming along was interesting.  Sluuffon was totally clear that it was her choice and that she could absolutely stay on the ship if she wanted.

 

But, she was also clear that she would be buying Whiskey new clothes and boot and would expect her to wear them, so wouldn’t it be better to come along and try things on so that her clothes actually fit?

 

Even that might not have worked, until she said.  “I’m pretty sure I can guess what size boots you take.  More or less.  You like heels, right?”

 

Whiskey decided to come shopping.

 

It took the women a while to understand that Whiskey would try on anything they suggested, whether she liked it or not.

 

Dressing her up stopped being fun once they realized that.

 

Then there was a quite heated debate about whether or not Whiskey needed a bra.  On one hand, she didn’t have much to put in one, on the other, the mammalian females insisted she get one.  In the end, Whiskey picked out a fairly plain cut of bikini panties and an underwireless bra.  Then the women bought it for her in several pretty colours.

 

Whiskey also picked out a pair of leather pants in navy to match The Ogord Ravager’s colours and a number of long sleeved, high necked shirts that would cover her scars.

 

Nekkass was NOT going to let that pass.  “No.  You are not getting those!  It is too hot in stores and you will be uncomfortable.  Besides, everyone has a scar or six.  No one is going to stare.”

 

In the end they settled on a few tops with three quarter length or shorter sleeve and laces in the back.  “That way you can let them out when you put on some weight.”  Nekkass had pointed out.  “Your ribs might not stick out as much, but you need to build some muscle mass, Whiskey.”

 

“I could just get a bigger size.”

 

There was much shaking of heads at that one.  “Loose clothing can get caught in things,” she was told.  “You need to have things that fit.”  

 

Qewgin even pointed out that the leather pants would ease as she gained weight.  Whiskey was not sure she would be as happy in them once they were tight leather pants.

 

Boot shopping was saved for the end of the day.  Tucheer was worried that Whiskey would have decision fatigue by then.  This coupled with swollen feet meant that she would be able to just get whatever combat boots fit.

 

It turned out Whiskey liked shoes.  She tried on plain.  She tried on strappy.  She tried on heels and flats.  She picked out a pair of utility boots with reinforced toes.  Tucheer said that if Tullk wouldn’t pay for the the strappy boots with low heels, she would because there was no way in seven hells she was letting Whiskey leave the store without them.

 

They ended up meeting Tullk and Brahl on the Drydock a little earlier than planned. When Whiskey got back to the room, Brahl was playing with the ball Tullk had gotten him.  Tullk was re-arranging his room to there would be closet space for two more people.

 

“Oh!  I can do that!” she said.  Tullk leaned back to look around the wardrobe door.  Whiskey was standing there in a pair of navy leather pants and a cream coloured sleeveless top with a navy ribbon through the eyelet lace at the neckline.  

 

Brahl whistled.  “Hey there gorgeous!”

 

Whiskey blushed purple.  “ _ Well, I guess I know where you spent your day, little man. _ ”

 

Tullk coughed.  “ _ I took him shopping for new clothes.  Turns out the pup is a popular with the ladies. _ ”

 

She shrugged.  “ _ I’ll clean that, if you’ll let me.  I want to wash everything before I put it away. _ ”

 

“Alright.  Did you eat?”

 

“No.  I will feed Brahl in the mess hall tonight.” She ducked her head.  “ _ Are you expecting to be back tonight?  It sounds like Stakar and Martinex aren’t. _ ”

 

“I don’t know.  Someone needs to be the adult with those boys.”

 

Whiskey nodded.  “ _ Brahl, do you want to show me your new clothes or do you want to eat first? _ ”

 

“I want to go eat, Whiskey.”

 

“OK.  Come on.   _ We will clean and sort after supper. _ ”  And with that, they left.  Leaving Tullk on his knees watch the view.  She was still too thin, but it was getting better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please.
> 
> I have written Tullk having bot sex for chapter 10.... I'm just not sure I'm happy with it. It isn't really sexy.


	10. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tullk/Love bot have some non-erotic erotica.

Whiskey and Brahl brought food to Mijo and Yondu in the med bay.

 

Yondu stared at Whiskey when she came in.  “ _ They dressed you up like you are a person! _ ” She winced, he felt bad for a moment.  “ _ You look good. _ ”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“ _ That mean the smiling man is finally getting some tonight? _ ”

 

Whiskey shrugged.  “ _ They are going to the surface for that.  I am staying here. _ ”

 

“ _ Get some what? _ ” Brahl asked.

 

Whiskey ran her hand over his head.  “ _ Tullk and the boys are going to make some new friends. _ ”

 

——

 

“C’mon, old man!  There has to be something here you like!”

 

“I just can’t get past the smell, Stakar.”

 

“What smell?” Martinex asked.

 

“They don’t smell alive.”  Tullk said.  “It’s kind of creepy.  And I can’t believe you brought the boy.”

 

Stakar looked over at Yondu, who was staring at a window display of various models.  “Blue’s gotta pop his cherry sometime.  At least if he goes ballistic on a bot, no one’s gonna get hurt.” Stakar flagged over one with exaggerated curves.  “My friend here is lonely,” he said as he nodded to Tullk.

 

“I can help with that,” she said as she coiled her arms around Tullk’s neck.

 

Tullk rolled his eyes.  “Fine.  Let’s get this over with.”  He finished his drink in a gulp, then let her lead him upstairs.

 

“Look, you have adaptive AI, right?”

 

“Yes, of course!  I am state of the art.  I can access information and discuss art, history, philosophy, psychology-“

 

“So why is it,” Tullk interrupted, “that as soon as you get my pants off, the conversation is going to sound like a B grade skin vid?”

 

The bot scanned his sentence for context and tone then replied, “Customer interactions are based on popular culture and standard expectations for-“

 

“Can you not do that?  Can you find something to say other than “Oooh! you’re so big!” or whatever the standard offerings are?”

 

The bot considered this customer request, compared it to standard programming, tried to adapt to other parameters and answered. “Probably not.  No.”  She dropped to her knees, “But I’m sure we can find something else to do with my mouth.”

 

——

 

Stakar came and stood next to the boy.  “You don't have to pick one, but I’m paying.  Better to get it out of your system here than to start hound dogging the crew.”

 

Yondu nodded.  He pointed to a tall thin one.  She came over and he followed her upstairs.

 

Once the door was closed, he said.  “You don’t have to do this.”

 

The bot analyzed for tone and context and said, “Baby, this is what I was made to do.”

 

“Does that mean you don’t have a choice?”

 

She compared that to database queries and selected philosophy.  “Free will is a construct for living sentient beings.  I am neither.”

 

“What does sentient mean?”

 

“Self aware.”

 

“Slaves are self aware and they don’t have free will.  Not really.”

 

Still in philosophy mode, “Slaves have free will, but they lack self determination and agency.”

 

“Can you explain self determination and agency?”

 

——

 

Tullk looked down at the bot.  “Get up.”  She did, but she leaned in and kissed him instead.  It wasn’t bad, but, “Your mouth tastes like lube.”

 

“All my orifices are self lubricating.  I can change to a different flavour if you prefer.”

 

Tullk just shook his head. “I can taste the glycerin.”  He took off his coat and vest.  “Ok, darling, show me what you got.”

 

She didn’t kiss his mouth again, but kissed his neck and collarbone as she peeled him out of his shirt. “Are your scars more sensitive or less?”

 

“You just avoid the big ones, the small stuff can go either way.” It wasn’t worth explaining that the neural graft wasn’t perfect and touching the scars was like double sensation where each of the two bodies that had been joined to make him sent independent data to his brain.  It was very, VERY good when he trusted the person who was doing it, and very upsetting if he didn’t.

 

She licked one of his nipples while she fumbled with his pants.  Then she was kissing her way down his belly to his cock.  She licked along the underside, and swirled her tongue around the head before angling her neck and taking him all the way in so that her nose was against his pubic bone.  Then she caught his hands and guided them so he was holding the sides of her head.

 

Whatever mechanics she had inside whirled and pulsed around his length.  She wasn’t moving.  He needed her to move.

 

He pulled his hands away from her head.  “Move, damn you!”

 

She began a slow slide down his length then sucked him back in.  He gasped.  She simulated the tightening of swallowing his cock, it rippled down his whole length.  There were definite advantaged to blow jobs from bots who didn’t need to breathe.

 

Tullk laced his fingers together behind his head and looked up at the ceiling concentrating on the sensation and ignoring the visual of a yellow skinned bot between his legs.

 

She slid off of him with a slight pop and he looked down, disappointed and slightly upset.

 

“You need to sit or lay down before you finish.  I can’t catch you in this position.  There is a 59% chance of a head injury if you collapse where you are standing.” She was undoing the buckles on his boots so that he could step out of them and his pants.  

 

He did, then went and lay on the bed.  “After I finish, take off your coverings and come lay next to me.”

 

“Do you want me to be the big spoon or the little spoon?”

 

“The little spoon.”

 

“Do you want to cum in my mouth or -“

 

“Yes!”

 

She dropped down and swallowed him in again.

 

Tullk put his hands back behind his head.  He wanted to hold hers, but, her hair was wrong and her skin was wrong and it was better to just lay back and enjoy the sensations.  Imagine it was a person sucking his cock, doing that thing with her tongue, swallowing so her throat clenched around him.  Ignore the faint smell of silicone that no one else seemed to notice, or that she wasn’t breathing or the slight way the seams in her hands caught on his leg hair.  Just concentrate on the hot wet pulsing and slight suction and —

 

“Ah!”

 

She didn’t pull off but pressed her head tight to his body, her throat working to wring every drop from him. He fought the instinct to push her away and, sure enough, she adjusted the hinge of her jaw to keep his knot in her mouth.

 

He lay there shuddering, as the tip of her tongue twitched around his knot in a way that no living person could.

 

Alright.  Maybe there were some advantages to bot sex.

 

——

 

Tullk woke up spooning the bot as promised. He played with her carefully moulded nipple. The texture was good but, “Adjust your temperature up a couple of degrees.” 

 

That was better. He had to give the manufacturers credit, the skin texture was pretty good.  As he slid his hand down her body, he could feel the more densely moulded “muscles” under the surface layer of softer skin.  The bot angled her hips back and rubbed her ass on Tullk’s cock.

 

He braced himself for the cliche of “Take me, big boy!” but it never came.  Huh.  Adaptive AI after all.  Her body was slick and warm and rubbing against him so that his dick was sliding over her cunt. She still smelled wrong, but his body was getting the hint anyway.

 

“Alright, hands and knees,” he said.  She complied, her back arching so her tailbone was pointed up to the ceiling.  Tullk stroked the curve of her back.  “Knees and elbows, I think.”  She adjusted.

 

He ran his hands over her ass, then pushed his thumbs into her cunt and pulled her open a bit.  Sure enough, self lubricating. He let go and lined up then slid in with one hard push. He waited for her internal mechanisms to adjust, first too loose from where his thumbs had pulled her open, then briefly too tight as she adjust downward, then snug and perfect.  Slightly curious, he pushed his thumb into the tighter pucker that was supposed to be her ass. He wiggled his thumb.  He could somewhat feel it on his cock.

 

Gripping her hips with his hands, he began snapping his hips, pounding into her harder than he would on a living person.  If he fucked Whiskey like this, she would be covered in bruises.

 

His rhythm faltered when that thought came unbidden into his head.  He stopped for a moment, and pulled out his thumb.  He stroked the bot’s back gently, and began a more careful pace.  “Cum for me,” he said and immediately felt her insides spasm and twitch. He closed his eye and kept rocking his hips.  “Again.” he said, and again he could feel her twitching around his cock.  He tried to remember Whiskey’s smell.  Clean and alive.

 

With one final push, he buried himself deep in the bot and shuddered his release, his hips now twitching involuntarily.  She rocked back, pressing firmly against him so that his knot was well inside of her as it started to swell, her body squeezing it tight.

 

“Gods, that’s good.”

 

“So good.” she echoed.

 

Tullk put one hand flat just above her pubic bone and wrapped the other around her chest. “We’re gonna roll to the left.” he said. They did, his knot still tucked inside her, his body once again spooning her.

 

She rubbed his arms.  

 

He dozed and waited for his knot to release.  

 

He woke to the feeling of a hand gently caressing his balls. “What are you doing?” 

 

“I think you have one more in here.” she said. 

 

“Oh, you do, do ya?”

 

“Yes. I could call a friend to help get it out.”

 

“What do you have in mind?”

 

“Well, I still have a hole you haven't filled and maybe you would like a prostate massage.”

 

His cock twitched at that.  “You planning on draining me dry, girl?”

 

“Yes.” the bot said simply. “We aim for complete customer satisfaction.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Share the love, if you have it. Still feel a little self conscious about this sort of chapter. 
> 
> Yondu's bot adventures next chapter.


	11. Longing

“ _ Whiskey?  I miss Tullk.” _

 

_ “I do too sweetie, but he’ll be back tomorrow.” _

 

_ “It weird going to sleep with him not here.” _

 

It was weird being alone in his room, but she wasn’t going to say that to the boy.  It was scary getting ready to sleep without anyone there to remind her she was safe when the nightmares found her.  Over these last few weeks - more than a month, now - she had really come to appreciate Tullk reminding her she was safe.

 

Maybe she hadn’t believed him at first, but at this point it was reassuring.  And now, she was going to turn off the lights and Brahl would sleep the sleep of the innocent and she would be alone in the dark with her head full of a lifetime of horrors.

 

She looked at the kid.  All she had to do was say that it was OK and he would believe her and go to sleep.  Her mind raced.

 

“ _ You know, Brahl, I’ll tell you what we are going to do-“ _

 

——

Tullk wandered out of the room rather more than two hours after he wandered in.

 

“Have a good time?”  Czar asked.

 

“Yeah.  Everyone else still having a good time?”

 

“Well, the boy went in shortly after you and I haven’t seen him yet, but you know what they say about Centaurians.  Stakar and Aleta are sharing three bots between them, so they will be here all night.  Martinex is passed out in the corner. I haven’t seen Charlie - I bet he hired an orgy - or Krugarr, but he’s probably off stealing something.” Czar pointed at Matinex.  “I already hit the holey trinity on one bot, but if you give me a couple of hours and some lunch, I’ll be good to go again.”

 

Tullk snorted, “Sure you will.  I’m off to The Drydock.  Try not to let the kid bankrupt Stakar.”

 

“Meh.  I’ll give him another couple of hours, then pull the plug and sent him packing.”

 

“Bring him back to the ship, Czar.  Don’t just send him. We don’t want him wandering off.”

 

“Sure thing, Tullk.”

 

——

 

The very first thing Tullk did, once he was back on the ship, was have a shower and scrub his hair.  If he could smell the silicone from the bots, Brahl sure as hell would.  Tullk was not prepared to answer those questions tonight and certainly not in front of Whiskey.

 

The next thing he did was wash his clothes, for the same reason.  He put on a pair of sleep pants and a shirt.  Then he crept into his room in the dark.  He was hoping not to wake them, but at soon as the door opened, Whiskey sat up and turned to see who it was.  

 

“ _ Tullk?  Is that you? _ ”  Her voice sounded small and afraid.

 

“ _ It’s ok, darling, just me. _ ”

 

She lay back down and curled around the boy.  “ _ I’m glad you’re home safe. _ ”

 

There was so much to think about in that sentence, he stopped moving for a moment.  When he had recovered a bit, he crawled into his bed.  “You changed the sheets!”  He was surprised.  It sounded more like an accusation than he had intended.  “ _ Thank you, _ ” he added.

 

Whiskey blushed in the dark.  “ _ Brahl missed your smell, so I changed your bed so that he could sleep in your blankets _ .”

 

It was a lie.  Whiskey had just lied to him.  Huh. 

 

He got out of bed and crept over to where she was laying.  He sat on the floor.   They were definitely swaddled in his blankets.

 

Oh.

 

Huh.

 

_ “You just hold him tight there.”  _  Whiskey cuddled the boy a little closer.  Tullk tucked the blankets around them.  “ _ I’m gonna pick you up, _ ” he said, “ _ you hold the boy and I’ll carry you both. _ ”  He scooped them up, a blanket bundle full of ex-slaves, and carried them over to the bed.  Brahl gave a little contented sigh as he settled on the mattress.  “I _ shoulda done this sooner.  You shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor, Whiskey.” _

 

She didn’t say anything, but she smelled uncertain.

 

_ “Yer safe.  The bed’s big enough for all of us.”   _ He considered this.  “ _ Yer small, so we all fit, just for tonight, all right?  Please?” _

 

She nodded, cautiously.

 

_ “I just need to know yer safe tonight.  I’ll keep you safe, lass.” _

 

_ “Have you been drinking, Quartermaster Tullk?”  _ she asked.

 

No.  “ _ Maybe just a little. _ ” he said. “ _ Go to sleep, Whiskey.  I got ya.” _

 

——

 

The bot’s philosophy mode had only lasted about twenty minutes before it had to switch to psychology.    This was not entirely unusual.  It was a quite androgynous bot and there were clients who preferred to get their therapy while naked with a vibrator in one of their orifices.  This client hadn’t bothered with the naked part.

 

They had talked about agency and survivor’s guilt.  They had talked about depression and post traumatic stress disorder.  The client had cried several times.  It was getting close to the four hour mark, when someone banged on the door.

 

“Put it back in your pants, Blue!  Time to go!”

 

The client had wiped his face and hug the bot.  It hugged him back.  

 

“Are you satisfied with our encounter?”

 

“Yeah.  Yeah, I am.”

 

“Thank you for your business.”  It powered down.

 

Yondu came out of the room.

 

Czar was drunk.  “Fuck!  You crying over a bot, boy?  You can’t go getting all sentimental over some fuck toy!” He laughed.

 

Yondu nodded.

 

They went back to the ship.

 

——

 

“Tullk! You’re back!”

 

He hadn’t been sleeping when the pup woke up and shouted.  But Whiskey had, she jumped as she startled awake.  “ _ Go back to sleep, Brahl, it’s the middle of the night, _ ” she mumbled.

 

“ _ No fair! You get to cuddle Tullk and I don’t! _ ”

 

Her whole body stiffened at that.

 

Tullk laughed, gently, as the pup wiggled and squirmed to climb over Whiskey to get to him.  “Careful!  I don’t want anyone getting hurt,” he cautioned.

 

After much rearranging, they ended up Tullk, then Brahl hugging him around the waist, then Whisky spooning Brahl with her head almost touching Tullk’s shoulder and the blanket covering all of them.  Tullk found the little sigh as Whiskey fell back to sleep very gratifying, since he didn’t think she had slept at all that first night in the room with him.  Now she was so close he could feel her breathing and she was completely relaxed like that.

 

He must be doing something right.

 

\----

 

Yondu had spent most of the night tossing and turning.  There was so much going on in his head after talking to the bot.  He needed… something.  He lay there listening to Mijo snore until it was close enough to breakfast time to go to the mess hall.  He waited for Tullk to bring Whiskey to breakfast.

 

He was out of his seat as soon as he saw her.

 

Tullk stepped between them, “Do we need to have another little chat, boy?”

 

Yondu stopped.  “No.”  He glared at the smiling man.  “I need to talk to Whiskey.”

 

Tullk just stared at him.  He raised an eyebrow.

 

“Alone.” Yondu added.

 

Tullk opened his mouth to refuse, but Whiskey put a hesitant hand on his shoulder.  “I’ll be ok,” she said.

 

Yondu grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the mess hall.  

 

Brahl watched wide eyed.  He slipped his hand into Tullk’s.  “Yondu isn’t like the other slaves.  We aren’t allowed to look at people like that.”

 

Whiskey was lead down one hallway after another then pushed into a small storage room.  Yondu closed the doors then dropped to his knees and hugged her around the waist, pressing his face into her belly.  He sobbed.  She froze for a moment, startled, then she began gently stroking his head, humming the song she remembered from when she was small.

 

After a moment, he went still and started whistling along with her.  The chunk of rock someone had grafted into his skull lit up.  It was warm under her hand.

 

_ “What is this?” _ she asked.

 

_ “It’s to replace my fin.  It’s so I can control my arrow.” _

 

_ “I don’t understand.” _

 

_ “I have a special arrow that I control by whistling.  I use it in battle.  It is stored separately from me so that I cannot use it on my handlers.” _

 

Whiskey’s blood ran cold.  She was pretty sure she had helped log it when it came off The Otava.  It was in stores, third rack, seventh set of shelves,  second shelf from the top, near the middle.  It was in a special sound proof box.  She had wondered about that.

 

While she was thinking, Yondu kept talking.   _ “It was why I am still alive.  We - I was sent into many battles.  I killed everyone.  I lived because I am good, very good with my arrow.  But I don’t know where it is and I don’t know why these people want me without it.” _

 

Whiskey considered this.   _ “I have no weapon, and they want me.” _

 

“You look after the Achernonian, he will be a weapon when he grows up.”  He didn’t add that he saw how Tullk looked at her.  His first understanding of sex had come when one of the gentlemen visiting the creche had demanded access to Whiskey.

 

_ “There are lots of jobs on this ship that don’t involve killing. _ ” she said.

 

He stood up then.  “ _ But killing is what I’m good at. _ ”  With that, he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting quick at work. show me some love


	12. Collar

Whiskey did not go straight back to the mess hall.  She went to stores and found the arrow.  Then she found a sewing kit and sewed it into the lining of her new jacket.  It wasn’t the first time she had to steal for one of her kids.  Everytime she hoped it would be the last.

 

Then she went to breakfast.

 

“ _ Everything ok? _ ”  Tullk asked.

 

Whiskey glanced at Brahl.  “ _ Maybe we can talk later. _ ”

 

Tullk got the hint.  He waited until Brahl was helping Ch’Kore with getting ready to restock after breakfast, then he led Whiskey into a quiet corner and asked, “ _ What did Blue want? _ ” He had too many years of talking to women to comment that he could smell the boy's distress on her.

 

“ _ He is feeling lost.  He spent years killing and now he is assigned to the med bay.  He can't find his place.  He doesn't understand that he has value as anything other that a weapon. _ ”

 

Tullk considered this. “ _ I'll talk to Stakar about it.” _

 

_ “Thank you, Quartermaster. _ ”

 

Tullk winced. “ _ You're the only one who calls me that, Whiskey.  I would like it if you could use my name.” _

 

Her eyes went wide. “I'm sorry.”

 

“ _ Nah, I understand you are trying to be respectful, but you will have an easier time thinking of yourself as a Ravager if you try to blend in a little. You aren't a slave anymore. _ ”

 

She nodded, “Yes… Tullk.”

 

“Thank you, Whiskey.”  He looked at her. “ _ We are going back to get supplies before we leave Contraxia.  Is there anything else you need while we are here? _ ”

 

She shook her head, no. 

 

“ _ Did they get you a comb or anything for your hair? _ ”

 

Whiskey shook her head again.  “Qewgin brushes my hair for me.”

 

“If you have your own comb, you could brush it yourself.”  He hesitated, he needed a light touch to suggest this next part. “Or I could help you brush it.”

 

She got a funny little smile, “Quar-  Tullk, you don't even brush your own hair.”

 

He grinned and pushed his dreads out of his eyes.  “It's nice to have someone do it for you, isn't it?”

 

She nodded, solemnly. 

 

——

 

Whiskey wasn’t sure why she was along for this trip.  It gave her a renewed sense of sympathy for Yondu.  Tullk was buying provisions on an industrial scale.  Full meat lockers worth of animal protein.  A pallet load each worth of soap, shampoo, condoms, laundry detergent and mouth care items.  A surprisingly small box of seeds. A surprisingly large amount of dairy.  

 

Then lastly, at a store full of things that sparkle, a comb for Whiskey.  She stared at all the display cases, carefully not touching anything.  Tullk watched her with a hint of a smile.  “See anything you like?”

 

“It’s all so beautiful,” her voice was full of awe.

 

He tried again.  “See anything you want?”

 

Her face fell, her expression carefully neutral.

 

“ _ You are allowed to ask for things, Whiskey. _ ”

 

She shook her head but didn’t say anything.

 

“ _ You are also allowed to have things that just make you happy. _ ”

 

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.  “ _ Am I something that makes you happy? _ ”

 

Tullk chose his words carefully.  “ _ You are someone who makes me happy.  I enjoy watching you play with Brahl.  I like watching how you work to figure things out.  Even when the problem you are trying to solve is me. _ ”

 

She nodded.  “ _ Tucheer bought me a second pair of boots.  I do not need two pairs of boots.  I only have one pair of feet.  She bought them because they made me happy. _ ”

 

Tullk felt a little sting of jealousy, but he smiled at Whiskey.  “ _ I look forward to seeing them.  I would buy you something beautiful if it would make you happy. _ ”

 

Whiskey looked at the displays of jewelry.  Then she looked at the floor and ran her hand over her neck.  In a tiny voice she whispered, “ _ Quartermaster Ul-zyn, I do not understand.  Are you asking me to choose a new collar? _ ”

 

Tullk felt sick.  He immediately left the store, Whiskey trailing after him. “ _ I have upset you. _ ”

 

“Weren’t you that upset me, darling.  I’m angry with the slavers.   _ I will never make you wear a collar. It didn’t even occur to me that you would see it that way.” _

 

Whiskey nodded carefully.  “It makes me happy that you want to brush my hair.  It is nice having people take care of me.”

 

Tullk laughed.  “And here I thought I was being subtle.”

 

“If you want me to wear your collar, I believe you will pick a gentle one.”

 

Tullk shook his head.  “No.  No collars.  Not ever.”

 

She wasn’t sure she believed that, but she decided to let it pass.

 

——

 

That night Brahl was surprised when Whiskey started building her blanket nest on the floor.  “Are we gonna sleep with Tullk?” he asked.

 

Whiskey stilled for a moment.  “Last night Tullk was … feeling protective, but it is his bed, not ours.”

 

Tullk watched that.  “You can sleep wherever you want.  Bed’s big enough to share.  It has to be your choice.”

 

Brahl looked between the two of them.  Then he helped Whiskey finish her nest.  The blankets still smelled like Tullk anyway.

 

——

 

Stakar, at Tullk’s request, had Yondu start shadowing him.  He was teaching the boy the things he needed to one day be a pilot.  The kid was a fucking sponge.  He picked up the nav system like he was born to it.  Weapon systems?  Picked them up in half the time of most of the recruits.  Hell, he had Andrei teaching him useless Terran languages just for fun.

 

Stakar was proud of the kid, he obviously had some brains in that skull.

 

Aleta had gotten used to having him around.

 

He was settling in so that he only gave Tullk the murder eyes every couple of days instead of every time he saw the man.

 

Which is why when Tullk headed into the shower and found Yondu was busy shaking hands with himself, he didn’t turn and leave.  Ravagers jerking off in the showers was a regular thing.  That was fine, Brahl wasn’t here, just ignore it and…

 

He noticed the blood.

 

Yondu came with a shout.

 

Tullk stood frozen.

 

The boy turned and came to get a towel.  

 

“You are cutting your thighs.”  Tullk said flatly.

 

Yondu looked at the wall. “Can’t cum if it don’t hurt.”

 

“That isn’t…  It’s your body, you get to …  I don’t even know what to say.  We need to go talk to the Boss.  He’s got some background in this.”

 

Stakar and Aleta where as upset as Tullk was.  Charlie had an idea.

 

“There a pleasure station near the Sol blockade.  The owner specializes in sexual disfunction, she could help.”

 

“You’re suggesting we take him to a brothel?”  Aleta said flatly.

 

“They have an excellent medical facility.” Charlie assured her.

 

When Aleta looked into it, she was forced to agree.  And so Yondu Udonta was left in Mirena’s care.  And Tullk got to explain to Whiskey that they were leaving her son at a pleasure station for a month.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love my work? I love your comments.


	13. Wet Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first draft of most of this chapter was published to the reject pile. There are a few changes and some additions. 
> 
> Basically, Whiskey is physically well, but emotionally still a mess.

Yondu had been gone for almost a month.  Tullk said they were going to pick him up.  Whiskey was looking forward to seeing Yondu again.  She was happier knowing he was safe.  She hadn’t been too sure when they had dropped him off, but Tullk and the woman who owned the facility where he was had organized video calls for them.  Both Whiskey and Yondu were happier checking in every couple of days to know the other was still alive and unharmed.

 

Whiskey could see Yondu getting less afraid and more confident as the month progressed.  She was so pleased that Tullk and the Ravagers wear actually taking care of their… people.  She still had a hard time applying that word to herself.  She was working on it.

 

She was shocked when she first realized Tullk was pleased when she expressed a preference for things.  The first time she had tentatively refused to do something she had been expecting a beating.  That everyone in stores stopped to stare at her had been terrifying.  She had mumbled about not being able to lift the box Tullk had told her to shelve, and flinched and waited for the slap.  

 

It never came.

 

Instead he considered the box and nodded.  “You’re right.  It’s too heavy.  Thank you for telling me, Whiskey.  I don’t want you to get hurt.  Thank you for taking care of yourself.”

 

She blushed and a warm feeling had pulled at her heart.  That was new.

 

——

 

Something was wrong, the world was all… confusing…

 

She was in the store room, but no one else was.  Her clothes were gone.

 

Then Tullk was there.  She didn’t remember him being there before.  He grabbed her by her long hair - that wasn’t right - and bent her over the desk.

 

She could feel him fucking her, but her body clenched at nothing.  She needed… something… she NEEDED - 

 

Whiskey gasped and jerked awake in the dark.  Brahl whined and rolled over.  She scrambled out of the blanket nest and bolted for the door.

 

Tullk sat up in bed.  “You’re ok.  You’re safe, it’s just a nightmare, Whiskey.”

 

She fumbled with the door controls and ran out into the hallway.

 

Brahl started to chase after her, but Tullk caught him.  “Easy there lad.  Whiskey just needs a moment.”

 

“She smells wrong!  So afraid and ….something else… I don’t”

 

Tullk sighed.  “OK pup, new rule.  Never ever comment on a person's smell where anyone but me can hear you.  All you’ll do is upset folks.  This is right up there with no biting, go it?”

 

Brahl whimpered and nodded and hugged Tullk.  

 

Tullk considered this.  Someone needed to go talk to Whiskey and Brahl was only one of the reasons why it needed to be someone else.  

 

He called Sluuffon.

 

——

 

Sluuffon disconnected the voice transmission and pushed herself out of bed, waking Tucheer on the bunk below her.  

 

“What in seven hells are you doing?”

 

“Whiskey had a nightmare and ran off.  Tullk can’t leave the boy and needs me to go find her.”

 

“Fuck.”  That was Nekkass.  “Whiskey doesn’t strike me as a runaway kind of girl.  She seems more likely to curl into a ball and cry.”

 

“Yeah.  Must have been some nightmare.”

 

They eventually found her, curled in a ball, on the floor of the shower.  She was fully dressed but had the shower turned on as cold as it would go.  The water just pouring off of her as she lay there staring at nothing.

 

Tucheer turned off the water as Sluuffon brushed the hair from Whiskeys face.

 

“Bring me some towels.  This is too cold for a warm blood to be.”  Sluuffon easily picked Whiskey and carried her to the benched and began peeling off her wet pyjamas.

“No.” Whiskey moaned and tried to pull them back up.

 

“Whiskey, sweetie, we gotta get you warm.”  

 

Nekkass considers this.  “Warm shower.  I’ll get Qewgin.  This has to be some weird mammal shit.”

 

By the time Nekkass and Qewgin were back, Tucheer and Sluuffon had managed to cut Whiskey from her pyjamas and wrap her in a couple of warm blankets.  Qewgin grabbed a towel and rubs down Whiskey’s hair.  It was about four inches long at this point.  She dug a comb out of her pocket and began to brush the hair away from Whiskey’s eyes.

 

“Tell me what happened, Whiskey.”

 

“I was asleep and then I was in stores… I was dreaming I was in stores and Tullk was fucking me and then I woke up and between my legs was all wet and sticky and I ran away.”

 

Everyone got very still at that.  Qewgin finally asked, “Did Tullk… um…”

 

“No!  I did this.  Something is wrong!”

 

“So… “ Qewgin wasn’t sure how to ask this, so she just swallowed and went for it.  “You had a wet dream and got scared?”

 

Whiskey looked at her with no understanding.

 

Qewgin stared back.  “Whiskey you are a fully grown woman, haven’t you ever had a wet dream before?”

 

“No!  This isn’t…. something is wrong with me.”

 

“OK.  If something is wrong, we get the Doc to check it out.”

 

——

 

Doc Mijo was not happy about being woken up in the middle of the night because someone had a perfectly normal biological function.

 

“There is nothing wrong with you.” she repeated firmly.

 

Whiskey stubbornly shook her head.  “This isn’t normal.  I don’t want this.  It never happened before.”

 

Mijo sighed and ran the scanner over Whiskey AGAIN.  “What can I say?  Everything is fine.  Well, you are still underweight, but that is better than the emaciated that your were when we found…” she trailed off as her brain finally woke up.  “Maybe this had never happened before because you were always too malnourished to have a normal sex drive, but I can assure you, this is normal.”

 

——

 

Tullk was pleased to see Whiskey sitting at breakfast with her friends.  Sluuffon brought her to work in the stores like nothing happened.  Whiskey was a bit more distant than normal, but seemed fully functional.

 

She skipped morning snack.  Sluuffon was a little upset at that.  “We couldn’t get her to eat breakfast either.”

 

At lunch Whiskey just sat pushing the food around on her plate.

 

“Whiskey? You need to eat.”  Tullk said gently.

 

“Not yet.”  she said.  “I used to only eat once a day.  I’m ok.”

 

“No, you aren’t. You need to eat.”

 

“Doc Mijo said I am having bad things at night because I am too fat.”

 

Tullk dropped his fork and started at her.  He looked at Ch’Kore, “Stay with Brahl, please.”  Then he grabbed Whiskey’s arm and pulled her out of her seat and dragged her to the sick bay.  The ladies from breakfast trailed along after him.

 

When he got to the med bay, he pushed Whiskey into a patient bed and turned on Mijo, “Did you tell her she was too fat?” he bellowed.

 

Aleta cleared her throat from the other side of the room.

 

Mijo was appalled.  “No!  I would nev…..  oh.  Um…. No…. but I can see how what I said could have been misinterpreted.”  She sighed and rubbed her face.  “What I said was that Whiskey is finally healthy enough that she is starting to have some normal biological functions return…  or possibly turn up for the first time-“

 

Whiskey whimpered and dropped her eyes.  “I don’t want to have sex with you.” she whispered.

 

Aleta was suddenly right there.  “Did Tullk-“ she didn’t even know how to ask that.

 

“No! He didn’t do anything.  This is me.  I am broken.  I am wrong.  This isn’t-“ she sobbed.

 

Sluuffon came over and rubbed her shoulders.  “It’s ok.  You are fine.”

 

Mijo cleared her throat.  “As I was saying, some perfectly normal biological functions that are somewhat upsetting given her history.”

 

Everyone got real quiet at that.

 

“OK.” Aleta said.  “We will move you into the women’s quarters and -“

 

Whiskey crumpled further.

 

Mijo cleared her throat.  “I don’t think that would necessarily feel safer under the circumstances.”

 

“Can’t you just give me some drugs to make this stop?”

 

Mijo had another light bulb moment.  “Did they do that back in the creche?”

 

Whiskey shrugged.

 

“That would explain a few things.  I mean obviously, they didn’t work perfectly, given your…  well…  At any rate, you are at least thirty five years old, Whiskey.  You are going to have to deal with hormones at some point.”

 

Tullk, who had been silent through this whole thing, said quietly, “I would never do anything to hurt you Whiskey.  You are safe here.”

 

She shivered and nodded.  Then eyes firmly on the floor she whispered, “I don’t know how to trust that.  It has never been true before.”

 

“We are not Kree.”  Aleta said.  “Different culture, different expectations.  Different rules about how to treat people.  No one here hurts the women because I will personally gut anyone who does.  Everyone on this ship is a person and we all keep each other safe.  You are one of us, Whiskey.  We will all keep you safe.”

 

Aleta paused and thought about how to say the next thing, but Qewgin beat her to it.

 

“Sex is a normal part of life, Whiskey.  Like eating and pooping and all those other biological functions.  Maybe learning how to take care of it yourself first is the best place to start.”

 

Whiskey blushed a deep magenta.

 

Sluuffon, gently turned Tullk so he was facing the door and gave him a push.  “We got this, Quartermaster.  Off you go."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please! Next chapters, the women of The Drydock organize therapy for Whiskey, Yondu comes back, the Kree attack.


	14. Sex Ed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much Four Nostril for beta reading for me.
> 
> (The Tullk in the shower scene is entirely her fault for requesting it.)

After Tullk left, the women started talking.  Someone had sent out the call, because they started to filter into the med bay.  They talked about their first times, their worst times.  About how sex was viewed in the culture they were from.  Some talked about being abused and what it was like coming back from that.  Several talked about taking ownership of their bodies.  Whiskey hadn’t really thought about owning her body.  She had just assumed Tullk did but when she voiced this, she was politely but firmly assured her it wasn’t true.

 

Some talked about female on female rape.  That gave her a new perspective too.

 

Mijo organized snacks.  Whiskey ate and listened.

 

Sluuffon talked about how much she loved Ch’Kore and how they had to figure out sex as two physiologically incompatible species. This led to a couple of impromptu anatomy lessons from Doc Mijo and from several thoughtful looks from a few of the women about the Silurian having hemipenes. 

 

Also to Whiskey admitting that she didn’t really know what parts she had.

 

The room went really quiet at that.  Aleta ordered in a case of wine and dinner.

 

Mijo broke out the anatomy diagrams.

 

Qewgin asked if Whiskey ever touched herself.

 

She was offended.  “Of course I do! I wash!”

 

“Um…..” Qewgin looked at Sluuffon.

 

“Don’t look at me!  I have different anatomy and you started it!”

 

Qewgin cleared her throat.  Aleta opened her mouth to speak.  Nekkass elbowed her in the side and whispered, “Qewgin is Whiskey’s friend.”

 

Qewgin took a moment to think about exactly how to ask this and realized that despite her being fairly sure she knew the answer, it still needed to be asked.  “Do you ever….  have sex with yourself?”

 

Whiskey frowned.  “I only have one set of parts.”

 

Mijo took over at that point.

 

“Part of why you are … dreaming is that your body wants sex.  If your partner actually cares enough to be careful, it feels really good.  But it is also possible to have sex by yourself, using your fingers to simulate another person.”

 

Whiskey blushed and Aleta stepped forward at that point.

 

“You probably won’t want to just stick your fingers in and wiggle them around.  It is easier and less invasive to gently rub your clit.  That little bump Mijo was talking about earlier.”

 

“I’ll give you access to my room so you can have some privacy for that if you ever want to give it a try,” Qewgin offered.

 

Aleta swore softly.  “Yeah.  I forgot you don’t really get to be alone that often.  I can get you your own room, if you want.”

 

Whiskey ducked her head.  “Tullk makes me feel safe.”

 

\----

 

Stakar found Tullk in stores.  “C’mon old man, you need a drink.  Ch’Kore!  You’re in charge of the kid!”

 

He brought Tullk to the officers’ lounge and poured him a stiff double scotch.  He waved the bottle absentmindedly.  “That why you named her Whiskey?”

 

Tullk snorted and downed his drink.  “Nah.  Her… product code started with W.  The phonetic alphabet for W is-”

 

“Whiskey.”  Stakar and Charlie joined in.

 

“Seemed more appropriate than just calling her woman, which is what it likely stood for.”

 

“Wet nurse.” Martinex corrected.  “She worked in the creche.  It would have stood for Wet Nurse.”

 

Tullk shrugged.  “It dinna matter now.  That woman has driven me to drink.”  He held up his glass.  Stakar poured him a top up.  “The worst part about last night,” he sipped his scotch. “I was laying in bed enjoying her smell.  I could smell her lust.  I figured she would just have a happy little moment and not even notice.  I was hoping she was dreaming about me.  But no.  It was something from her past.”

 

“She didn’t smell afraid?” Martinex asked.  “You can usually smell fear.”

 

“No.  Not until just before she woke up.  Then she was up and running.”  He finished his drink.  Stakar offered him another pour. He shook his head. “Sluuffon found her taking the whole cold shower thing to a new and painful level.”

 

“Sounds like she was self punishing.”  Charlie said, opening another beer.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“What you going to do about -”  Martinex waved his hands.  “This.”

 

“Well.” Tullk belched. “First thing I’m gonna do is go wank in the shower.  A lot.  Then I’m gonna come back here and have another scotch.  Then ….  We’ll see.”

 

\----

Tullk used seniority as an excuse to kick everyone out.  He usually didn’t care who stared at him, but not this time.  He stripped and gave the water a moment to adjust to a nice temperature.  Then he ran his hand down his belly and into his sheath, letting his cock spill out.  He considered it for a moment.

 

Whiskey was not a big woman.  This was a little ridiculous to even be considering.    Still, if he made sure she was ready…

 

Oh gods!  The smell of her want!  In a way the fear at the end had almost been a relief.  It had been about the only thing keeping him from spilling in his bed like a horny teenager.  He could just imagine leaning into breathe that smell.  What she would taste like, the slickness of her body on his tongue.  Sliding a finger or two into her and giving them a curl.

 

His whole body was humming now.  His cock twitching and bobbing as he ran a careful finger along the underside.  Would she be willing to touch him?  He could catalog every careful little touch, every time she had ever put her hand on his shoulder or brushed past him in stores.  The way her hair felt as he combed it in the morning.  The happy little sighs she gave when he massaged her scalp.

 

He wanted to know, would the sound of her pleasure be a shout or a gasp?  He wanted to know every taste, every sound, every intimate texture of her.  He wanted those careful, tentative fingers stroking his body. Dancing up and down his dick.  Her lips and tongue tasting him.  Licking her own flavour from his mouth once he made her cum over and over again, his fingers stretching her open, making her ready.

 

He wanted to slide into that tight wetness, to have her begging him to move.  He wanted the slow and easy slide in and out as he fingered her clit until she was fluttering and clenching around him.  He wanted to spill into her until he flooded her body and she was dripping with both their lust.

 

He came with a shout, spilling onto the floor with a gush.

 

As he stood there, panting and trembling slightly under the warm spray of the shower, he realized how much he even wanted the aftercare of massaging the stiffness out of her thighs and calves.  He wanted to hold her tight and not let go.

 

\----

 

Yondu was horny.  Again.  He was in a brothel, surrounded by half naked lovelies of every size, shape and gender and none of them were allowed to touch him.  Mirena kept talking about autonomy and self care.  Which was all well and good.  But when he was touching himself…  hell, he could keep cumming every five minutes for an hour.  He wasn’t allowed to hurt himself to make it stop.

 

He was learning some self control.

 

He also learned that he wasn’t up for anything involving penetration.  He had been given a box of toys and had tentatively tried out a couple.  Having something stuck in him was too familiar in a very unfriendly way.

 

He also wasn’t a fan of the taste or smell of jizz.  But the smell thing was getting better at least.

 

He weren’t sure about this whole spending an hour every fucking day talking about how he was feeling bull crap.  But something seemed to be working.  He was thinking clearer.  

 

From what he could tell from the vid calls, Whiskey was being well took care of.  They were due to come get him the day after tomorrow.  He was hoping that was true.  He hadn’t really believed they would be back when they dropped him off.  He was sure he had just been sold.  But Mirena had assured him that weren’t the case. That and the staff and customers having to keep their hands off made it look like he really wasn’t on the menu.

 

He wondered idly if Stakar were keepin’ him for hisself.  He had been sleepin’ in the man’s cabin with him and his woman this whole time.  A couple of the customers have been disappointed that he couldn’t fuck them.  That was new.  Yondu had never been the fuck-er always the fuck-ee.  People seemed interested in exactly how long he could stay in their ass.

 

Once again, not something he had previously considered.  When he had someone in his ass, he just wanted it over as quickly as possible.

 

People were weird.

 

Except he couldn’t let Mirena hear him say that.  She kept telling him that as long as everyone involved were consenting adults and no one was actually injured (here she would give him a LOOK), there weren’t really a wrong way.  Of course, this had led to a discussion of what he could and couldn’t do without injuring his partner.  The bottom line was that it was pretty safe for anyone to play with the last six or eight inches, but it he were planning on sliding all fourteen into someone, there were really only one hole on most people that deep.  And even then, only with a lot of planning.

 

Yondu couldn’t imagine anyone going to that amount of effort for him.  Not unless he were paying someone.  But, it sounded like there were bots who could just change out their parts for this sort of thing.  He had kinda wasted his visit on Contraxia, by the sound of things.

 

Or maybe not.  It were what he wanted at the time.

 

\----

 

Brahl was worried when Whiskey didn’t turn up at dinner.  Tullk pointed out than none of the other females had either.  “Sometimes the ladies need time to themselves, pup.  It’s important to be respectful of that.”  He thought for a moment, then added, “Sometimes adults of any sort need some time to themselves.  When you get older, you will understand.”

 

Brahl considered this.  “Is Whiskey in trouble for running away?”

 

“No!”  Tullk said firmly.  “Whiskey needs to know we love her and are going to keep her safe no matter what.”

 

Brahl considered this.  “I do love her.  I didn’t know that you did.” Then his face crumpled as Tullk smelled surprised.

 

Tullk pulled the boy closer and gave him a hug.  “I love you both, pup.  You’re my pack.  My family.”

 

“Like all the rest of the Ravagers?”

 

“They’re my friends.  I don’t let them sleep in my den.”

 

“Ok.” Brahl ate his supper.  He knew Tullk loved him.  Since he had been here, he had been given a name and food and a safe place to sleep.  He hadn’t gone to bed hungry, not even once.  No one hit him and he hadn’t been chained.  Tullk was the best Papa he had ever heard of.

 

Whiskey just needed to figure that out.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.


	15. Interested Parties

Whiskey was feeling very… relaxed.  She had a couple of glasses of wine and spent the afternoon and evening visiting with the other women on the ship.  Her friends.  That was new.  Back in the creche it had been everyone for themselves.  Ch’Kore had been right that first or second day when he said that Ravagers took care of their own.

 

It was nice to be one of their own.

 

Own.

 

Her own.

 

As compared to her, owned.

 

That… didn’t seem right.

 

She crept into Tullk’s, he was sitting on the floor reading to Brahl.  There was something she need to say to them both.  “I am so sorry I broke and wasn’t able to -”

 

Tullk shook his head.  “This is all new, yeah?  It will take some time to get used to, new place, new people, new expectations.  It’s bound to take some time to settle in.  You have a lifetime of conditioning to change.  It’s going to take more than a few months.”

 

Whiskey nodded, but didn’t make eye contact.

 

Brahl took her hand.  “We love you even when you have nightmares.  Any bad guys come to take you, me an’ Tullk’ll eat ‘em!”  He snarled a little baby snarl.

 

Whiskey smiled.

 

Tullk hadn’t realized she had dimples before.

 

She got out the blankets and started to build a nest.  Brahl helped.

 

Once the lights were out, he fell asleep quickly.  Whiskey lay there thinking.  Eventually, she asked into the darkness.  “Tullk?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you own my body?”

 

“No!  Fu-  Who told you that?”

 

“No one.  I said I thought you own me.  Aleta said I own me.”

 

“You do.”  Tullk said firmly.

 

“But I can’t leave, can I?”

 

Tullk felt his blood run cold.  “If you want to.  I would help you get set up someplace if you want to go.”

 

She smelled uncertain.  “If I want to be alone, sometime.”

 

“Oh!  Yeah. Um… If you ever need some down time, I will make sure there is someone to take care of Brahl.”

 

There was a long moment of silence.  Then, “Tullk?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Aleta asked if I wanted my own room.  I wake up a lot in the night.  If I’m wrecking your sleep, I could go.  I would take Brahl and just meet you at stores after breakfast.”

 

“Is that what you want to do?”

 

Silence.  He found he was holding his breath.

 

“No.  You make me feel safe.”

 

That wasn’t all he wanted to make her feel, but it was a start.

 

\----

 

The crew were pretty excited to be visiting Mirena’s twice in just over a month.  Whiskey had woken up with an unexplained headache that morning and hadn’t been planning on leaving the ship.  Tullk insisted saying that Yondu would want to see her.  She was surprised the Aleta had made sure they were on a shuttle together.   Actually, now that she looked around, everyone on the shuttle was female.

 

Aleta nodded to her.  “How are you feeling?”

 

“I’m fine.  I’m still able to work.”

 

Aleta smiled at her.  “You only say that when you are not fine, Whiskey.”

 

Whiskey looked down.  “My head hurts a little, but-”

 

Someone laughed.

 

Aleta asked, “Do you need a pain patch for that?”

 

“No.  I’m fine.”

 

“They have special doctors here.  I would like you to talk to one of them.”

 

“Ok.”

 

\----

 

Whiskey had finished up with the doc and was waiting in the lounge for everyone else to finish.

 

That’s when the Kree raiders hit.  The Ravagers poured out of rooms with hastily pulled on pants, knives at the ready.  One came out with a blaster.

 

“Put that away!”  Stakar ordered, “You’ll breach the hull!”

 

There was hand to hand melee fighting in the halls, neither side willing to risk projectile weapons on a space station.

 

The staff and guests were hustled into the lounge.  Everyone huddled together, a couple of Ravagers barricaded the door, then stood between the non-combatants and the pressure door blocking the Kree.

 

The door burst open.

 

The Kree swarmed into the room.  Some were fighting the Ravagers, but others started dragging people away.  Someone grabbed Whiskey by the hair.  She tried to push Brahl out of the way.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the familiar Ravager red jacket on a blue body.

 

“Yondu!  Arrow!” she screamed.

 

He looked around and gave a tentative whistle.  The back of Whiskey’s jacket lit up in response.  There was a sharper whistle and the Yaka arrow ripped through her coat, then quickly through the Kree holding her.

 

Yondu kept whistling.  The Kree fell like rain.  He walked out of the lounge and along the now familiar corridors.  They were quickly painted with the dark blood of Kree fighters, blue and pink alike.  He walked the entire circle of the space station, there was no place for the Kree to hide.  None of them made it back to their ship.

 

It was over in a matter of minutes.

 

He called the arrow back to his hand and stood there defiantly.  His whole posture daring people to tell him to hand it over.

 

Stakar started to clap.  The rest of the room followed.  

 

Tullk pulled the body of a dead Kree warrior off of Whiskey.  “And here I thought that was on a shelf, in stores.”

 

She blushed and ducked her head, but said firmly, “It belongs to Yondu.”

 

“Yes, I dare say it does.”  Tullk hesitated.  “Do you think it will be safe send him armed on the ship amongst your friends?”

 

Whiskey hesitated.  She honestly didn’t know.   _ “Are you OK, Yondu?” _

 

_ “I’m fine.  You?” _

 

_ “Yes, thank you.” _

 

_ “I told you, it’s what I’m good at.” _

 

_ “Are you good at stopping?” _

 

Now he stopped trying to stare down the whole room and actually looked at Whiskey.  Her cheek was swelling  where she had caught an elbow in the struggle  He looked hard at her.   _ “If I give this back, are you going to give it to the smiling man?” _

 

_ “If he asks for it, I might.  I trust him.” _

 

_ “He fucking you yet?” _  Yondu was genuinely curious, there wasn’t the same level of malice in the question that there had been four months ago

 

_ “No.  That’s not my job.  I work in stores, I take care of the kid.  Tullk makes me feel safe.” _

 

Yondu looked hard at her.  Then whistled the arrow over to her and dropped it at her feet.

 

Whiskey bent down and picked it up.  “Thank you, Yondu.” She tucked the arrow into her inside jacket pocket. 

 

“I'll fix where that tore,” Yondu said. 

 

Whiskey nodded.  She walked over and gave him a hug,  her cheek pressed against his neck.  He patted her back awkwardly.  

 

“I got this,” he said.

 

\----

 

After makes sure Whiskey and Brahl were safe, Tullk went to help with disposal of the bodies.  Stakar had a squeamishness about eating formerly sentient meat.  Mirena was torn between getting caught serving Kree based protein and the expense of importing bovine all the way to a space station in the middle of nowhere.

 

In the end, she got over it.  The bodies were stripped of anything useful and Tullk let Mirena’s cook take care of the rest.

 

The Ravagers had another Kree ship to strip for parts.  This part met with both Stakar and Aleta’s approval.  If the crew could strip a space ship, it gave them insight into repairs and maintenance on their own ships.  Plus no matter how much Xandar and the Kree insisted their technology was not compatible with each other, the Drydock was proof that, with skill, they could be merged.

 

The Kree ship was, of course, booby trapped.  Stakar’s crew was good enough to bypass the traps.  It meant they had to cut their visit short, but Mirena promised then a discount on their next visit.

 

In the meantime, the officers were meeting to try to figure out what to do with their Centaurian.   The Kree’s ship logs made it very clear that they had come to retrieve Yondu after getting word where he was.  He was rated as a class 1 weapon in their database.  The Ravagers could now see why.

 

Charlie wasn’t totally happy with that.  “Ravagers don’t traffic in kids.  This guy is barely an adult.  It’s bad enough you let Tullk keep that pup as a pet.”

 

Aleta frowned.  “They are both better off with us than dumped into the general public.”

 

Krugarr agreed.  *If we cut him loose, the Kree will just find him and pick him up again.  That would be irresponsible.*

 

There really wasn’t anything Charlie could say to that.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated. This chapter has been written and rewritten several times. I think I may need to take a little break. I have been writing for an hour to an hour and a half everyday since Jan 1. This plus juggling three part time jobs had left me feeling a little burnt out. I think I may take a week or two off...
> 
> Or at least tomorrow.


	16. Displays of Affection

It was late by the time Tullk finished up for the day.  In truth, he wasn’t actually done, but he had just had enough and needed a break.  When he got to his cabin, Brahl was helping Whiskey read him a story.  The pup had taken to reading like it was the best thing ever.  Whiskey was still struggling with a lifetime of conditioning telling her she couldn’t.

 

They both looked up when he came in.  Whiskey looked momentarily guilty at getting caught with the book. Brahl was happy to see him.  The pup ran over and slammed into Tullk, his arms clinging tight around his legs.

 

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?  Me and Whiskey?”  Whiskey was clearly shocked at this suggestion, but Brahl turned on her.  “Please?  Today was scary and it makes me feel safe.”

 

Whiskey blushed.  “It’s rude to just-”

 

“It’s fine.”  Tullk interrupted.  “I don’t mind.  It’s your call.”

 

Brahl turned his big, pleading eyes on her.  “Please, Whiskey?”

 

Whiskey looked at him then nodded.

 

Once everyone was ready for bed, Tullk had Whiskey take the wall side, with Brahl next to him.  He lay down on the outside edge of the bed and was facing the door when he turned out the lights.  He waited until Whiskey’s breathing had gotten slow and regular before he rolled over to face the little family he wanted to keep.  Brahl was out cold, making little baby snores.  Whiskey was lying facing him, her body relaxed.  Tullk wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek, but knew she would wake afraid if he did.

 

After about twenty minutes, Brahl had inched himself right up to Tullk.  He was surprised when the boy pushed up his sleep shirt to hug Tullk around his tummy.  Brahl was clear asleep but he woke up a bit when he felt Tullk’s scars.  “Sorry, I thought you were Whiskey.  She has nice skin.”

 

Tullk chuckled softly.  “It’s ok, lad.”

 

“Why you all scarred up anyway?  Where you a slave too?”

 

“Nah.  I was born and raised to be one of Odin’s guard dogs.  Then there was an invasion of Trolls and I stopped them from killing the prince, but I was badly injured.  The scars are what they had to do to keep me alive.”

 

“You were a guard dog?”

 

“Yup.  That’s part of why I am so happy you are here.  I want to protect you and Whiskey.  It makes me happy that you let me guard you at night.”

 

“So why do we still sleep on the floor?”

 

Tullk sighed.  “I want to cuddle you up and keep you safe.  Both of you.  But it makes Whiskey afraid and I’m not sure that she understands that she can say no.  I don’t want her sleeping in my bed if it makes her afraid of me.”

 

Brahl frowned.  “But you don’t hurt us!  You’re my Papa!”

 

Tullk shrugged.  “I think, pup, that everyone has hurt Whiskey at some point.  I’m not sure she knows that sometimes snuggles can be nice.  I don’t want her to be afraid, but tonight I am being selfish and taking comfort from having the two of you close.  Even though I know she wouldn’t have wanted this except to make you happy.”

 

“Oh.  But it makes you happy too, right?”

 

“It doesn’t matter.  Important life lesson, Brahl.  It isn’t a woman’s job to make you happy.  It’s your job to make her feel safe.  Someday, you will be big and scary and have sharp teeth, and you will need to make sure the females don’t see you as a threat.”

 

“I wouldn’t hurt them!”

 

“I know pup.  But the point is you can.  Already you can.  If you bite someone you will hurt them.  You need to make sure people understand that just because you can hurt them, doesn’t mean you will.”

 

“What about the slavers?”

 

“You are allowed to defend your family.  You just need to make sure your family is safe, even from you.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“It’s OK.  Someday, as a grown up, you will.”  Tullk hesitated, breathing Whiskey’s smell.  She wasn’t asleep anymore.  He wondered how much of that she had heard.  “We should all try to go back to sleep now.  We are safe.  Nothing bad is going to happen to us here.”

 

Brahll nodded and wiggled around to wrap his arms around Whiskey’s waist, his hands slipping under her shirt, and onto her back.

 

“Good night, Tullk.”

 

“Good night, pup.”

 

\----

 

At some point in the night, Whiskey inched closer and tucked her fingers into Tullk’s hand.

 

\----

 

Whiskey was watching Ch’Kore and Sluuffon again.  They were shelving boxes of parts together.  Ch’Kore would put his hand on the small of Sluuffon’s back as she climbed the latter.  Their hands lingered as he passed boxed up to her.  At one point, Sluuffon bent down and kissed Ch’Kore as she was taking a box from him and afterwards, they both smiled.

 

Whiskey blushed and looked away.  Tullk was watching her.  She ducked her head. “I’m sorry.  It is rude to stare.”

 

Tullk shrugged.  “They are happy, Whiskey.  You know Sluuffon wouldn’t put up with Ch’Kore if she didn’t want him around.”

 

“I know.”  She sighed, “I just don’t understand how Ch’Kore got there.”

 

Tullk gave her a quizzical look.

 

Whiskey shrugged and went back to sorting inventory.

 

Whiskey was quiet and thoughtful all through dinner.  At bed time, she got out the blankets for nesting and just stood there holding them.

 

“Is everything OK?” Tullk asked.

 

She frowned at the floor.  He watched, he could almost see her thinking frantically.  Finally she said, “I understand that I can say no, but I don’t understand how to ask for things I want.”  

 

Brahl perked up.  “I wanna sleep in Tullk’s bed again!”

 

Whiskey was holding her breath.

 

“I’m fine with that.  Is that what you want, Whiskey?”

 

Whiskey relaxed and nodded.

 

“You are allowed to ask for things.  Even when what you need is comfort.”

 

It was so quiet, Tullk barely heard it.  So he decided to take the coward’s way out and pretend that he didn’t.  But in a tiny voice of defiance, Whiskey had whispered, “You don’t.”

 

\----

 

That night Whiskey held his hand.

 

It was such a tiny display of affection, that Tullk would have felt vaguely pathetic for how much he appreciated it if he hadn’t understood what it must have cost Whiskey emotionally.

 

\----

 

The third night Whiskey was sleeping in a pile with Tullk and Brahl, the nightmares caught up with her.  Tullk was actually asleep and missed the warning signs but sudden she rocketed out of bed.  The room smelled like fear.  Tullk turned on the lights and stood between her and the door.  “Don’t run!  You are safe!  It’s ok.”

 

Brahl sat up wide eyed.  Whiskey was shaking like a leaf.  She looked around wildly for a moment then her gaze settled on Tullk.  He could see her trying to force herself to relax.  She walked up right close to him, then leaned forward and put her head on his chest and started to cry.

 

“Hug her, silly!”  Brahl commanded.

 

Tullk carefully put his arms around Whiskey who sagged even further into him.  After a moment, she put her arms around his waist too.  Then she pushed up his shirt a little and put her hands on his back.  That was … different.  Brahl did that too.  Patterns have meaning, but this one he didn’t understand.

 

Questing fingers found one of the seams on his back.  She froze for a second then snatched her hands away.  Tullk released her immediately.  She took a step back and watched him questioningly.  She still hadn’t spoken after the nightmare.  Tullk didn’t know what to say.

 

Brahl however, was too young to have a filter.  “Tullk has a bunch of scars from when he was a guard dog.”

 

Whiskey searched his face.  “Can I see?” she whispered.

 

No!  No! You can’t!  I want to turn out the lights and lick you all over until you are a quivering ball of lust.  Then after, when you see me as a source of pleasure, maybe I’ll let you look at me!  Women always get this wrong.  They see the scars and think poor baby or monster and either way, they are done.  No!

 

But she was still watching him.  And when he didn’t say yes, she sort of wilted and nodded and went to get the spare blankets from the cubby.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to wake everyone.”

 

Fuck.  Was it fair to keep this from her when just being in a room with him made her feel vulnerable?

 

“I don’t like people staring at me.” Tullk said.  “But I’ve seen your scars.”

 

He took off his shirt.  She gasped.  Tullk thought he was long past blushing, but apparently not.  He cocked his head to the side.  “It’s ok, darlin’, they don’t hurt.”

 

She crept nervously up to him and put her hands on his chest.  Then carefully traced one of the scars with her finger.  He caught her hand and moved it to over his heart.  “They do tickle a bit though.”

 

She looked at his face, then nodded.  “Can I hug you again?”

 

Tullk pulled her in close and rested his chin on her head.  He closed his eyes and managed to not jump when Brahl came over and hugged them both around the thighs.

 

“Is it time for breakfast yet?”

 

Whiskey snorted a little laugh.  “No, not yet.”

 

“OK.  Can we go back to bed then?  It’s cold out here.”

 

And so they did.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!


	17. Research Purposes

 

Tullk needed information.  It bothered him that Whiskey was doing things he didn't understand. He was old, new was unusual for him, but he wasn't too old to learn. 

 

He tried Ch’Kore first.  “What does it mean when someone pushes up your shirt a little to put their hands on your back?”

 

Ch’Kore gave him a look and a laugh and said, “Are you really asking me what it means when someone tries to get your clothes off?”

 

Tullk shook his head. “It wasn't like that. The kid put his hands around my waist and on my back in his sleep the other night.”

 

Ch’Kore shrugged.  “Maybe he just wanted a hug?”

 

“Maybe.  It isn't a Kree thing then?”

 

“Not that I know of.  But I'm not the person you need to ask.  What did Whiskey say?”

 

“I didn't ask her.  It's complicated.”

 

“Well, the other person you could ask hates your guts, so….  Hey!  Where you going?”

 

“To the gut hater.”

 

\----

 

Tullk found Yondu armpit deep in an M engine with Martinex. 

 

He waited politely for them to notice him. 

 

“What do you want?”  Yondu demanded. 

 

“What does it mean when someone puts their hand flat on your back?”

 

Yondu took a swing at him with a wrench. Martinex caught Yondu’s arms behind his back “You hurt her and I will find a way to kill you, gods damn it!”

 

“I believe you. I don't want to misinterpret what she's doing. That's why I'm asking.”

 

“It's to make you calm.” Yondu shrugged out of Martinex’s grip.  “She's the only one I seen done it.  But she thinks people go weird if no one touches them for a long time.”  He paused to glare at Tullk.  “NOT touch like that!  Just.  It something she does when we're afeared.  Helps us calm down.”  Yondu narrowed his eyes.  “What were you doin’ that she needed you to calm the fuck down?”

 

“Nothing!  She just woke up from a nightmare.  She hugged me and pushed my shirt up a little to put her hands on my back.”

 

Martinex started coughing.

 

Yondu turned to glare at him. 

 

Tullk said, “It wasn't like that.”

 

Martinex shrugged and turn back to the engine.

 

“No, it wasn’t.” Yondu said firmly.

 

\----

 

While Tullk was busy, Whiskey was doing her own reconnaissance. Qewgin worked in the weapons division and wasn't that hard to find.  

 

She smiled as soon as she saw Whiskey come in. “Hey!  What can I do for you today?”

 

Whiskey got very serious.  “There is something I don’t understand,” she said.

 

Qewgin nodded slowly.  “Ok.  Yashza!  I’ll be back in a few minutes!”

 

Qewgin took Whiskey back to her room and made her a cup of tea.  “What don’t you understand, Whiskey?”

 

Whiskey sipped her tea and thought about how to ask her question.  “You … and the other women… said that sex is a normal, healthy thing.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Whiskey was quiet for a long time.  Qewgin just let her think.  It was clear she wasn’t finished yet.

 

“But it hurts!  Why would I want to get hurt?”

 

Qewgin went very still for a long moment.  She started to speak a couple of times, but stopped to make sure she got the wording right.  “It can hurt if neither of you know what they’re doing.  Just like touching people. Babies don’t know how it works and they will poke you in the eye if you aren’t careful.  Or bite you when they are frustrated.  And sometimes people make it hurt on purpose.  Sometimes, and I think this is the one you have experienced, sometimes people just don’t care enough to bother not to hurt their partner.”

 

Whiskey didn’t say anything.

 

“Are you thinking of Tullk?”

 

Whiskey nodded.

 

“Tullk will never try to hurt you.  And he doesn’t want you to be hurt by accident.  But you need to tell him what is ok and what isn’t.  He is very, very careful with you.  He won’t do anything without you asking.”

 

Whiskey nodded, but she was clenching her fists.

 

“What is it?  Did something-”

 

“No!”  Whiskey took a deep breath, “I don’t know how to ask or what to ask for.”

 

Qewgin considered this.  “Kissing is a good place to start, but if you haven’t spent some time getting to know your body…  That might be a good idea.  It will help you figure out what you like and what you don’t where you don’t have to worry about anyone else.”

 

Whiskey considered this.

 

“You can always use this room.  Just change the sheets when you are done.”

 

Whiskey nodded again.  Qewgin left.  Whiskey finished the tea.

 

\----

 

Whiskey was watching the boys… play.  That was the only way to describe it.  Brahl was playing with his ball, when it rolled away.  Ch’Kore had picked it up and cackled, “It’s mine, now!  Mwah, ha ha!”

 

Brahl screamed “No!” and started chasing him to get it back.  After a few minutes, Tullk tripped Ch’Kore and Brahl had tackled him while he was down and taken his ball back.  Now he was sitting, giggling on Tullk’s shoulders as they ran through the shelves being chased by Ch’Kore.  Sluuffon was laughing and alternately encouraging each side.

 

Whiskey was smiling and shaking her head, when Brahl suddenly took a flying leap off of Tullk’s shoulders and into her arms.  There was no warning and she barely caught him.  Everyone froze.  Whiskey adjusted her grip.  “That was very dangerous.  What if I hadn’t caught you?”

 

Brahl looked sad.  “I’m sorry Whiskey.”

 

She walked away from the wall she had been leaning up against.  “When you are playing with the boys you have to be careful and HANG ON!”  Then she sprinted down the row, the sound of Sluuffon’s laughter echoing in her ears.

 

She heard Ch’Kore say, “I’m going to get you!” 

 

Brahl tipped back his head and howled.

 

Whiskey sped up.

 

Tullk stepped into the aisle ahead of them and caught Whiskey around the middle, turning with her momentum so that when they crashed to the ground, he was on the bottom.  “Got ya!” he said, holding them tight to his chest.

 

“Let me go!” Brahl said.

 

“No!  You are mine now!”

 

Brahl squirmed up Tullk’s chest. “I love you, Tullk!” he said and kissed one scarred cheek.

 

“Ah! Alright then! Off you go!’

 

The boy ran off still holding his ball.  The left Whiskey laying on his chest.  He was about to sit her up when she put her hand on his cheek, where Brahl had just kissed.  She arched her back and stretched out her neck and kissed his other cheek.  Then looked at his face.

 

“That was nice.” he said calmly.

 

Whiskey smiled shyly and climbed off of him then ran off after Brahl.

 

\----

 

Whiskey made a point of approaching Yondu at supper.  “ _ Mind if I join you?” _

 

_ “Yur always welcome. _ ”

 

She looked idly around the table. “ _ Why do you hate him? _ ”

 

“ _ He told me he owned you, called you a thing. One of his things. _ ”

 

_ “He keeps telling me I own myself. _ ”

 

Yondu shrugged, and looked straight ahead, not making eye contact.  “ _ Pretty song and dance ‘til he gets your clothes off. _ ”

 

_ “It’s been more than four months.  If he was going to hurt me, he’s had plenty of time _ .”

 

Now Yondu turned and looked hard at her.  “ _ If yur sittin’ here talkin’ to me about this, it means it’s workin’ _ “

 

Whiskey hung her head.  “ _ Yeah, it is. _ ”

 

Yondu reached over and rubbed her back.   _ “If yur sure it’s wut you want, ain’t necessarily a bad thing.  You just be real careful _ .”

 

_ “Why do you say that?” _

 

_ “I seen him in the shower.” _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make the writing happen.


	18. Sick Day

The temperature change happened slowly, and so, like boiling a frog, Tullk didn't notice. Not until Brahl threw off the blanket and gasped, “I'm too hot!”

 

Whiskey, on the other hand whimpered and curled a little tighter into the ball she was sleeping in, her back to them. 

 

And that was odd itself. Whiskey would sleep on the floor, curled around Brahl, her back to the room. When she slept in Tullk's bed, however, she always slept with her back to the wall.  Tullk had asked her about that once. She said she didn't know why she did that. 

 

Two very thoughtful days later, Whiskey had said it was because in his bed, she trusted him to guard Brahl.

 

Tullk reached out and put his hand on Whiskey's shoulder.  Not her back, never her back when she couldn't see the touch coming.  Her shoulder was warm.

 

She didn't wake and when he pulled her gently on to her back, her face was flushed and it was obvious she had a high fever. Tullk thought fast.  Whiskey would not want to be carried like this, but they had to do something.

 

"What's wrong with her?" Brahl asked.

 

"She needs a doctor.  You get your shoes.  I'll carry her, but I'm going to need you to open doors."

 

Brahl nodded solemnly.  He also knew that Whiskey didn't like surprise touches, but she was drenched in sweat and unresponsive.  Brahl was scared, but he trusted Tullk to take care of them.

 

Mijo was down for the night, but Silas was on duty and he didn't think it was worth waking her.  He hooked Whiskey up to a hydration bag and added species appropriate electrolytes.  "It's just a virus, I'll manage the fever and keep her comfortable until she wakes up."

 

Brahl climbed into the patient bed with her.

 

Silas started to object, then reconsidered.  "You wouldn't catch it, but you need to be careful to not touch the monitor stickers on her chest, OK?"

 

Brahl nodded.  Tullk pulled over a chair and held her hand.

 

Four hours later, Mijo got up and sent Tullk and Brahl for breakfast.  Brahl didn't want to leave her alone.

 

"She won't be alone, I'll be here."  Mijo had assured him.

 

"She will be scared when she wakes up.  She needs her family here!"  Brahl was almost crying.

 

"Tell you what, pup.  We'll get Yondu to come sit with her, would that be OK?"  Tullk asked.

 

Brahl nodded, and sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

 

\----

 

Yondu was surprised that Tullk had asked him to sit with Whiskey.  He din't mind none, but it weren't like Tullk to encourage him to spend time with her.  He din't say nothin' like Yondu couldn't spend time with'er...  It were just the first time he had ask'd for Yondu's help.

 

Two hours later, he understood why.  He were just sitting here, holdin' her hand, not doin' nothin'.  The only reason he stayed where every time he took his hand away, she whimpered and tried to curl up on her side.  Silas needed'er flat.

 

She were trying to sit up now.  Yondu put his hand on her shoulder, " _ Yur fine, you need to be still. _ "

 

" _ I need to pee. _ "

 

" _ Let me help ya. _ "

 

She whimpered and her eyes snapped open.  When they eventually focused on Yondu she relaxed a little and nodded.  She tried to stand, but it weren't really workin' for her, so Yondu scooped her up and was across the room to the toilet in about three long strides.  " _ You helped me often enough, let me help you. _ "

 

Whiskey nodded and left him get her sleep pants.  He had to help her sit on the toilet and she started to fall back asleep as soon as she were done.  He cleaned her up.  She whimpered, "no, no, please stop,' while he did.

 

Yondu frowned hard at that one.

 

He was with her when the fever broke.  He was still there another hour after that when she woke up.  Her hand twitched and when he looked at her face, she was watching him, sleepily.

 

She din't say nothin'

 

" _ You got sick. Yur in the med bay _ ," he said.

 

She nodded.  " _ Water? _ "

 

Silas brought over a bowl of ice and handed it to Yondu.

 

After she had two cubes, she asked,  _ "Are Tullk and Brahl sick too?" _

 

_ "Nah.  Jus you." _

 

She nodded and closed her eyes.

 

" _ How's Mr Smiles workin' for ya? _ "

 

_ Whiskey gave a little laugh.  "Really well, so far.  He stops as soon as I start to get scared. Before I even have to say anything." _

 

_ "Huh." _

 

She was blinking really slowly at this point, but she tried to sit up. 

 

_ "Whoa!  Easy there!" _

 

_ "I have to pee." _

 

Silas came over at that point.  _ "It's because we are pushing fluids.  If you can stand on your own, you can have a shower too." _

 

Whiskey made it to the toilet on her own this time, but asked Yondu for help to get back to bed. " _ How long have I been sick? _ "

 

" _ Nine hours.  Your room mates sat with your the first four hours then called me.  I bin here for five.  They'll be back at lunch to trade off again. _ "

 

Whiskey nodded and took his hand. " _ Thank you for staying with me. _ "

 

" _ Yeah, well, you jus get better so I don't gotta." _

 

Brahl and Tullk brought her soup at lunch.  Silas adjusted the bed so she could sit up to eat it.  Yondu didn't leave, but stood in the corner watching them.

 

"How long 'til you're better?" Brahl demanded.

 

Whiskey shrugged.  

 

Silas hurried over.  "If we stocked antiviral drugs for your species, you would be better already. As it is, we can only offer immune system support so it could be three or four days."  Whatever else he was going to say was cut short by the sight of Yashza carrying in a barely conscious Qewgin.  He waved to the bed next to Whiskey’s and ran to get a med scanner.

 

“Did I make her sick?” Whiskey asked.

 

Silas shrugged, with four arms it was impressive.  “Even if it is the same virus, it isn’t as though you brought it onto the ship.  We picked it up at our last stop, either by a crew member that was a vector or when we cleaned out the air supply.”  He turned to Yashza, “How long has she been like this?”

 

“I don’t know.  She didn’t show up for work this morning and I found her like this when she didn’t show up for lunch either.”

 

Whiskey cleared her throat, “We were both at ladies night last night.  Could there be other people who were there who got sick?”

 

Mijo contacted the assorted department heads to check on crew members who hadn’t made it to work.  They found another few with mild symptoms and two more that needed to be brought in. 

 

Whiskey was fairly upset by this.  Mijo told her to relax, it was just a mild viral infection, it wasn’t like they had an outbreak of xonni worms or anything.

 

An hour later a capacitor exploded and Mijo kicked all the visitors out to make room for the wounded.  Whiskey caught one of Silas’ arms on his way past.  “If Qewgin has the same virus as me, we could share a bed, I could watch her.”

 

Silas considered this.  Every bed in the med bay was big enough to accommodate Charlie-27 and both girls together weren’t even close.  He nodded, then without any further warning, scooped Whiskey up with his top two arms and rearranged Qewgin with the bottom two before placing Whiskey next to her.  He turned and stripped the now empty bed with an professional efficiency that left Whiskey impressed.

 

Whiskey took Qewgin’s hand and snuggled down to try to rest amidst the chaos of the med bay.  Silas turned to watch her for a moment.  He didn’t have time for this, but he paused and asked anyway.

 

“What is it with you needing to touch someone in your sleep?”

 

Whiskey looked up at him.  “I haven’t ever slept alone.  I was raised in the creche and I just stayed there.”

 

Silas’s mind raced at that one, but he didn’t have the time or psychology background or plain old species research to decide if that was health for Whiskey or not.  He tried to think if she was a species that travelled in packs, then gave up and went to get Mijo more bandages.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Positive feedback make the writing go.


	19. Blessing

Qewgin woke up feeling a little hungover, but not too bad.  What she couldn’t explain was why she was in bed with Whiskey, who clearly had a fever.  She looked around and realized she was in the med bay, so she sat up.

 

That was when she saw all the wounded.

 

She lay back down and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Then she gave Whiskey a shake.

 

“Mmph.” Whiskey said, intelligently.

 

Qewgin tried again.  “What’s going on?” she asked.

 

“We have a virus.  Mijo has antivirals for you but not for me.  There was an explosion and they needed the beds. I said we could share.” Whiskey hesitated.  “Is that OK?”

 

“What? Oh! Yeah, that’s fine.  What exploded?”

 

“I don’t know, but it killed three people and injured a bunch more.”

 

Qewgin lay back on the bed.  “Well, shit.” she said.  “There wasn’t anyone on this crew I would be happy to lose, so I am not looking forward to the funerals.” She looked at Whiskey, who was falling back to sleep. “You are not allowed to die from this.  I don’t want to lose another friend today.”

 

Whiskey nodded, sleepily.

 

“How’s Brahl?”

 

“…’e’s fine… can’t get sick from this.”

 

“So Tullk is taking care of him, instead of you?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

Qewgin thought some more.  “Well, that’s just stupid.”  She got out of bed to call Sluuffon.  

 

——

 

When Qewgin put out the call for Brahl babysitters, she should have realized Whiskey had enough friends to more than handle it.  Sluuffon and Ch’Kore offered to take the afternoon shift.  Nekkass, Tucheer and Qewgin figured they could handle the rest.

 

There were a couple of complications.  First, Mijo refused to sign off on Qewgin looking after anything but her recovery for the next week.  Second, Yondu had volunteered to take the kid for the morning shift.

 

The only people who didn’t see a problem with this were Whiskey and Brahl, who thought the arrow trick was totally awesome.

 

Yondu pointed out that he had been working in the med bay.

 

Mijo pointed out that he had supervision in the med bay.

 

Yondu considered this.  “OK.  Tell you what.  Qewgin and I can watch him together.  Then I can call for help if she gets worse and she can rat me out if I’m not doin’ a good enough job.”

 

Qewgin objected.

 

Yondu pointed out that it would get her out of the med bay.

 

Qewgin withdrew her objection.

 

Whiskey got really quiet when she realized Qewgin would be leaving ahead of her.  They all looked at her.

 

Yondu cleared his throat.  “If you ain’t OK with him takin’ care of ya, I’ll do it.”

 

Whiskey shook her head.  “Quartermaster Ul-zyn has a very important job.  Dr Mijo said I might take up to ten days to get better.  He can’t miss that much work.  Which means I will be alone in the room most of the time-“

 

Tullk held up his hand, “I’m going to stop you right there.  I can delegate the work, that isn’t the problem.  The question isn’t, can you be alone for the next ten days, it’s can you be alone with me for the next ten days?  You will sleep better not in the med bay.  I can take care of you.  But if you aren’t comfortable with that, you can stay with Yondu or we and organize a rota of people to come stay with you.”

 

“That sounds like a lot of work,” Whiskey hazarded.

 

Yondu shrugged, “I think we’re all willing to do it.  You pick.  You tell us what you need.”

 

“ _ I don’t know what to say. _ ”  It was almost a sob.

 

Tullk stepped forward, but Yondu was faster.  He scooped her up.  “Fine. I get first shift.  _ I’m taking you to my room. _ ”

 

Whiskey nodded and snuggled against him.  He looked at the assembled crew.  “Now, piss off, I’ll call whoever she says when she’s sick of me.”

 

Brahl piped up, “I wanna come, too!”

 

Yondu was already out of the room. 

 

Ch’Kore looked at him.  “She’s just gonna be sleeping.  If you stay with us, we can play tag.”

 

“But I wanna know she’s OK.”

 

Tullk buried his concerns and said, cheerfully, “Yondu will take good care of her.  We’ll stop in to check on her a couple of times a day.”

 

——

 

Yondu didn’t actually have his own room.  He had been put in with Martinex as the one crew member Yondu absolutely couldn’t hurt.  Martinex was baffled by this arrangement.

 

“You are sleeping with your…. with the woman who took care of you when you were small?”

 

“Dint you ever have to care for your maker when she was sick?”

 

“My people aren’t gender binary and we don’t get sick.”

 

“Well, la de da!  We do.  She is.  I’m takin’ care of her.”

 

Whiskey cleared her throat.  Yondu interjected before she could say anything,  _ “You are stayin’ so do going sayin’ nothing about being a problem.  I will take care of you. _ ”

 

Whiskey nodded.

 

Martinex rolled his eyes.  

 

The thing was, Yondu wasn’t actually sleeping while Whiskey was sleeping.  He was pacing. At least in the med bay he was able to watch things happening.  Here, she was just laying in his bed, randomly crying in her sleep.  And there was nothing he could do to help.

 

Fuck.

 

He tried calling Silas for advice, but med bay wasn’t answering calls right now.

 

Fuck.  FUCK!

 

He called Tullk.

 

He was expecting Mr. Smiles to make some sort of comment about Yondu not being able to cut it, but instead Tullk just said, “Thank you for not just leaving her to cry.”  Then he eased Whiskey over on the bed and sat down.

 

Whiskey sort of oozed over towards him and hugged Tullk’s waist, pressing her face against his thigh.  “She doesn’t like being alone,” Tullk explained.  “Which is really hard for her, because she is afraid of everyone at the same time.”

 

“Looks like she trusts you.”

 

“It took months to get to this point.”

 

Yondu considered this, then he just flat out asked what had been on his mind for months now.  “What the hell you doing with her?”

 

Tullk looked hard at him.  “When she arrived, I just wanted to keep her safe.  That’s what she was really asking me for on the slave ship.  It’s what you were trying to do for her, too.  It was just that neither of you understood that she could be safe here.”

 

“And now?”

 

Tullk sighed and looked at the boy.  “I love her, Yondu.”

 

“You want what’s between her legs, you mean.”

 

“Well, yes.  But if that doesn’t happen, I still want her in my life.  I want her to feel safe, to be safe, more than I want a quick tumble.”

 

Yondu considered this.  He looked at Whiskey.  She was sleeping peacefully for the first time since he brought her to his room.

 

“Fine.”

 

Tullk blinked.  “What?”

 

“Take her.  I trust you to take care of her.  Just don’t make me regret it.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the comments, please


	20. Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some of the angst?

Yondu was expecting Tullk to just pick up Whiskey and leave.  He didn’t actually do that.  He sat there calling her name and encouraging her to wake up.  When that didn’t work, he gently shook her shoulder.

 

Whiskey blinked slowly awake and untangled herself from Tullk.  She gave him a confused look, then turned to Yondu.

 

Yondu shrugged, “You should go with him.”

 

“No.  You get to decide.  You can come back to my room with me, Brahl is with Sluuffon.  Or you can stay here.  Or we can get any of your friends to come get you.  What would you like to do, Whiskey?”

 

She was watching Yondu.

 

“ ‘Sup to you.”

 

Whiskey nodded, she pushed herself up to sitting and wobbled a bit, rubbing her eyes.  When she stood up, she almost fell down and Yondu and Tullk collided trying to catch her.   _ “I know the bed in Tullk’s room.  I just maybe need some help walking.  Everything is a little … spinny. _ ”

 

“Let him carry you.  Don’t need you fallin’ over.” Tullk frowned at Yondu, who rolled his eyes and continued, “You can stay here, if you don’t wanna go.  Or I can carry you, if you don’t want him touchin’ you.”

 

“I’m heavy.”

 

Yondu laughed.  Tullk just shook his head.   “You’re a wee lass, won’t be no bother.  If it won’t make you afeard.”

 

Whiskey shook her head and reached towards Tullk.  He scooped her up carefully, ignoring how her skin crawled for a moment before she relaxed.  “You need down, just say.  I’ll set you down.”

 

Whiskey nodded.  Then she tucked her face into the crook of his neck.  Tullk carried her back to their room.  She was back asleep, her sweaty face tucked up against him by the time they got there.  Tullk crawled right into bed with her, laying close and letting her hold him, but being careful not to do anything to make her feel trapped.

 

He fell asleep breathing her smell.

 

——

 

Tullk woke up as gentle fingers traced the unit designation on his face.  He aborted the instinct to catch those fingers.  He opened his eyes and watched Whiskey for a while.  She was looking at his marks, ignoring that he was now awake.

 

“What do you think happens when you die?”

 

Tullk was going to point out that he couldn’t, but that wasn’t what she wanted to hear.  “Stakar believes that if the flames of Ogord flash over your body, you go to the Halls and see your family.  The people who raised me believe that if you are brave and fight well, your soul goes to Valhalla, the hall of Odin, where there is much feasting.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“What do you think?”

 

“I was always told that we just stop and become rot.”

 

Tullk didn’t know what to say to that.  “Why are you thinking of this?”

 

“Three people died in the accident today.  A bunch were hurt, maybe more have died now.”

 

“There isn’t any way to know.  Perhaps you should just choose to believe whatever gives you comfort.”

 

Whiskey considered this.  “How brave would I have to be to meet you in Valhalla?”

 

Tullk smiled softly, “Whiskey, my love, you are the bravest person I know.”

 

Whiskey blushed.  “I’m not.  Everything scares me.”

 

“Being brave isn’t the same as not being afraid.  Stupid is not being afraid.  Bravery is knowing all the horrible things that can happen, being afraid and moving forward anyway.”

 

She looked hard at him, trying to see if he was joking.  Then she smiled, “I like that.”  She blushed suddenly and looked away.

 

“What?”

 

“I want to kiss you, but I’m sick and …  maybe you don’t want me to.”

 

“I want every little touch you are able to give me, but I will never just take them.”

 

Whiskey leaned forward and kissed his lips then.  She was gentle and nervous, and didn’t really know what she was doing, but when Tullk kissed her back it was like someone had lit a fire under her skin.  She felt too hot and flustered and … she stopped and pulled away.

 

Tullk watched her for a moment.  “Are you OK?”

 

She nodded, not looking at him.  “I….” she stopped and squeezed her eyes shut.  “I want to stop now.  Please?”

 

Tullk fought the urge to frown, she would just get that wrong.  “Of course.  It is your decision, Whiskey.”

 

She nodded, but crept away from him and curled around herself, smelling slightly of fear.  “It’s OK. You are safe.  You get to say no.”

 

She nodded.

 

“Do you need to try to sleep some more?”

 

“I’m sorry I woke you.” she whispered.

 

“Don’t be sorry.  It was nice.”

 

“What do the tattoos mean?”

 

“Do you remember I said I was a guard dog?  They are the marks of the people I belonged to.”

 

Whiskey stared at him. “They branded you?”

 

Tullk considered this, “Sort of, I guess.  It didn't hurt and all my brothers had the same marks.”

 

Whiskey pulled up her shirt and showed Tullk a burn mark on her side.  “One of the gentlemen burned me with his signet ring. It hurt. He wanted me to wear his mark.”

 

Tullk swallowed. She was watching his face carefully. “I will never do that.”

 

She nodded again and bit her lip.   “You are careful when you touch me.  It's nice. I… I didn't think I would like that, but you stop when I need you to and I like that too.”

 

“I will always stop when you need me too.”

 

Whiskey was clearly thinking hard. Tullk didn't rush her. Sometimes it took a while to work up to something she needed to say or ask. He knew it wasn't that she was stupid, she had excellent problem solving skills, she just lacked the vocabulary and the cultural references to be able to express herself. 

 

_ “I could use my hands to please you, if you want.” _

 

Tullk choked. Then he cleared his throat. “ _ It isn't about what I want, Whiskey. It's about what you want. I could use my hands to please you too. But only if you want me to.” _

 

She blushed and looked away. 

 

“ _ Why did you offer me that? _ ”

 

Whiskey shrugged.  “ _ Brahl isn’t here.  I’m good at it.  I want to make you happy.” _

 

“And it is the least invasive pleasure you can offer me.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“You already make me happy, Whiskey.”

 

Whiskey made a little frustrated noise. “You always take care of me.  I don’t know how to take care of you.”

 

Tullk shook his head.  “I take care of you, you take care of Brahl.”

 

This was clearly not what she wanted to hear.  Her reply was a slightly sullen, “I would like to sleep some more.”

 

Tullk nodded, “That's a good idea. You will get better faster if you rest.”

 

Whiskey nodded.  She curled up around herself and eventually fell back asleep.  Her breathing had a subtle rattle that Tullk didn’t like.  

 

He thought about her offer and wondered if it had worked before, if she had been able to talk men out of using her violently with the offer of a happy hand job.  It wouldn’t work on the seriously violent, on the man who had burned her.   Maybe on the type of guy who thought raping a slave was just a way to stave off boredom while his wife filled out a bunch of paperwork.  He had never asked how many.  He was afraid of the answer.  He didn’t need to push her to remember just to satisfy his morbid curiosity.

 

\----

 

Whiskey was frustrated.  She maybe wanted Tullk’s hands on her, but she wanted to know his body first.  Yondu’s somewhat ominous comment about seeing Tullk in the shower had her a little concerned.  She had raised children of all species and knew that body parts weren’t exactly standard.  Some of them came with spikes, scales or ridges that made her skin crawl.

 

She knew better than to say, ‘Take off all your clothes so I can look at you.  And I want to touch you all over, but you have to keep your hands off of me.  And I don’t actually want to even talk to you about having sex until I have some time to think about what I find.  And even then, I might still not want to.’

 

Yeah…  that would never work.  However nice Tullk was being, there was only so far you could push a man before he knocked you to the ground and just helped himself.  She had spent days working up to making him that offer, then he went and used a bunch of big words she didn’t understand.  Now she just felt stupid.

 

She never should have shown him the brand.  She was trying… she didn’t even know what she was trying.  To show him they had things in common, but that was stupid.  He was people and she wasn’t, however nice he talked.  All she had done was remind him of that.

 

The thing was.... Whiskey wanted to be people.  The crew kept telling her she could be.  She just needed to learn how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.


	21. Separately

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrapping up a little bit then we flash forward three months.

Whiskey woke up a little when Brahl climbed into bed with her and snuggled up. She ran her hand over his head and back. Whiskey quite liked Brahl, the boy was kind and gentle and old enough to not bite or kick her.  He was long past the age where Littles would suck on her fingers or push up her shirt to get at her breasts.  When she heard Nekkass say goodbye to Tullk, she tried to push herself out of bed.  

 

Brahl squirmed around.  “Whiskey!  You are sick!” he said urgently.  “You need to sleep!”

 

She nodded, but tried again and this time was able to sit up.  She waited for the room to stop spinning, the pushed herself to her feet and staggered over to the corner where the nesting blankets were kept.  She would have thought she could build a nest in her sleep by now, and she sort of could.  It wasn’t the best nest she had ever made.  She curled up in it anyway.  

 

Nekkass knelt next to her, “Whiskey, honey, you gotta go back to bed.  You are sick, you can’t lay on the floor.”

 

Whiskey shook her head, “ _Can’t sleep in Tullk’s bed when he isn’t here._ ”

 

Nekkass leaned back.  “Did he tell you that?”

 

Whiskey shook her head.  “ _Is rude._ ”

 

Nekkass sighed and pushed Whiskey back up.   “You can’t sleep on the floor.” she repeated.

 

Whiskey tried to think.  She wrapped the blanket around herself and climbed into one of the chairs.  It didn’t have arms.  If she fell asleep, she would also fall out.  She flopped forward and put her head on the table and let the world blur around her.  Nekkass was still talking.  Whiskey just wanted her to go.  She was a friend, but she was also keeping Whiskey from sleeping.

 

Nekkass tried again, this time in Kree, “ _Did you walk from Yondu’s room or did someone carry you?_ ”

 

Why did that matter?  “ _Tullk carried me._ ”

 

Nekkass ducked out and returned moments later with a wheel chair.  Whiskey

climbed in and they were heading out of the room.  Whiskey wasn’t happy about being moved everywhere like a Little who couldn’t walk yet, but if she was honest, she wasn’t sure she could walk just now.  Nekkass took her back to the room she shared with her sisters, and tucked Whiskey into her bed.  It was soft and the covers were warm and the mattress was slightly heated.  All the muscle aches Whiskey had been ignoring, started to melt away.

 

She nodded off again.

 

She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but she woke up with her bladder screaming at her.  She forced herself upright and staggered to the bog.  When she was done, she came out and asked Nekkass, “Could I have something to eat, please?”

 

Brahl held her hand all the way to the mess hall.  Whiskey was eating some stew when Aleta came in. Whiskey flagged her down.

 

“You told me once that I could have my own room.  Is that true?”

 

Aleta was a little taken aback at that. “Of course!  I thought you liked sharing, otherwise I would have arranged that months ago.”

 

“I do like sharing.”

 

“But not with Tullk anymore?”  Aleta suggested.

 

Whiskey nodded and looked down.

 

Brahl was staring at her.  He started to cry.  “Whiskey, why don't you love us anymore?”

 

Whiskey scooped him up and hugged him tight.  “I still love you so much.  I just need to not be sleeping on the floor anymore.”

 

“But we sleep with Tullk!”

 

Aleta was suddenly paying really close attention.

 

Whiskey ran her hand over Brahl’s head. “Quartermaster Ul-zyn needs to be able to sleep without my snoring.”

 

Brahl was affronted, “You do not snore!”  Then he sagged, “Where will I sleep?”

 

“You can share my room, if Aleta says it is ok.”

 

Brahl sniffed. "But I love Tullk too.”

 

Whiskey nodded.  “Quartermaster Ul-zyn has taken very good care of us.  I need to learn how to be a person and I can’t do that with him taking care of me.”  Whiskey cleared her throat, “Brave isn’t not being afraid, it’s being afraid and moving forward anyway.”

 

Aleta knew who had told her that.  She cleared her throat.  “Do you need a new job, too?”

 

Whiskey panicked for a moment, then nodded.

 

“How’s the learning to read going?”

 

“I’m working on it.”

 

“Ok, I’ll set you up with maintenance.  They will be able to help you learn to read in the down time.”

 

“Thank you Aleta.”

 

\----

 

Once Whiskey had asked, things moved fast.  Aleta had a room for her by the end of the day.  She also personally came with Whiskey when she had to tell Tullk that she needed her own space.

 

Neither of them said anything about her crying while she did.

 

“You are so careful with me, Tullk and I really needed that.  But if I want to learn how to take care of myself, I can't stay here.”

 

Tullk nodded without saying anything.  He watched as she gathered up her clothes.  As she turned to leave, he said, “You are always welcome here, Whiskey.”

 

“Thank you, Tullk.”

 

\----

 

Nekkass stayed with Whiskey and Brahl until Whiskey was all the way through her virus.  It was a cute little room.  Whiskey and Brahl each had their own bed, although while Whiskey was sick, Brahl insisted on sharing hers.   There was a even a tiny water closet, smaller than Tullk’s but not every room had one, so Whiskey was thrilled.

 

The first few night on her own, Whiskey almost went back to Tullk’s room.  She woke up to cry every night for a week.

 

Her new job was hard.  She didn’t know anything, but she paid attention and was learning fast.  So far it was just handing tools to the mechanics and learning how to read on parts manuals.  The first couple of days had been just learning the names of the tools.  Her co-workers were really patient.  They would talk about what they were doing as she was watching them and they encouraged her to ask questions.

 

Of course the mechanical room wasn’t the best place for a kid, but the whole crew stepped up and organized so that Brahl could learn about all different areas of the ship.  Whiskey’s work schedule was organized three days on, then two days off with homework.

 

Andrei was impressed that she actually did her homework.

 

Everyone else was impressed that she could put up with a condescending Andrei.

 

It still took a month to settle in.  

 

Brahl would regularly go visit Tullk.

 

Whiskey did not.  She still didn’t know what to say.

 

Her second month in maintenance, people started asking why she had left Tullk. They would ask the question with the implication that she was going to blame him for something, but also with a clear bias towards believing he had done something or not.

 

Whiskey found that interesting.  She couldn’t spot the pattern for those prepared to defend him versus those who would believe he had done something wrong.  It didn’t really matter, she always said the same thing: Tullk had been very kind to her and had encouraged her to be able to make her own choices.

 

The third month, Whiskey still hadn’t gone to talk to Tullk and they were docking in Contraxia.

 

Qewgin encouraged her to rent a bot.

 

Whiskey thought that was a terrible idea.

 

In a completely unrelated conversation, Yondu encouraged Whiskey to rent a bot.

 

Whiskey said she would think about it.

 

What she thought about was using some of the money she had earned to buy Brahl some bigger clothing and something for his skin, it was getting so dry.  And maybe she could find the shoe shop again.

 

The day they landed, Aleta pulled Whiskey aside and told her that Brahl was going with Tullk today.

 

Whiskey was surprised.

 

Aleta shook her head. “You and I are getting a bot.”

 

Whiskey froze for a moment.  Then she looked straight at her Night Captain and in a clear, firm voice said no.

 

Aleta stared at her.  Then she laughed.  “OK, that was awesome, but this isn’t for sex, it’s for therapy.  If you want one to teach you how to fuck, I would encourage you to do so, but you will have to organize that separately.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments?


	22. Present

Whiskey had a headache.  She had spent the last couple of hours talking to the bot.  They talked out her life growing up and her time with Tullk.  She talked about being conflicted about that.  She wanted thought she wanted him, but he had clearly rejected her and that had made her embarrassed and ashamed.

 

The problem was she had pretty much talked herself around to being OK with wanting sex.  And she trusted Tullk more than anyone.  But he didn’t see her like that.  Now she just didn’t know what to do.

 

At that point, Aleta had strongly suggested Whiskey allow the very androgynous bot teach her how to have sex with herself.  Then she fled.

 

Whiskey had decided to give it a try.  It didn’t go well.  She ended up crying and feeling sick.  She didn’t want the bot seeing her naked.  Or watching her touch herself.  Aleta was gone, so Whiskey just went back to her room on the ship.

 

\----

 

Aleta tracked Tullk to where he and Brahl were having lunch.  She looked at the kid and switched to Fortisquian. “ **When Whiskey asked for sex, why the hell would you turn her down?** ”  

 

Tullk choked on his food.

 

Brahl looked at him, “Are you OK, Papa?”

 

Tullk nodded and took a sip of his drink.  “I just need a moment to talk to Aleta. OK?”

 

Brahl nodded.  “Can I go play over there?” He pointed to the free fall children’s park.

 

Tullk nodded and watched him run off.  “ **What exactly did she tell you?  Because I don’t remember that at all.** ”

 

Aleta watched him carefully.  He wasn’t lying.  “ **She said she spent days working up the nerve to ask to touch you and that you changed the subject and used a bunch of words she didn’t understand.  That it left her feeling ashamed for asking and stupid for not understanding.** ”

 

Tullk considered this.  He hadn’t seen or spoken to Whiskey in months.  “ **The last time I saw her, she was sick and nearly delusional with fever.  She offered me a hand job, said she wanted to make me happy.  I told her she already made me happy.  Next thing I know, she told you she didn’t want to stay with me anymore and that was it.** ”

 

Aleta considered this, “ **That wasn’t her understanding of it at all.  Look, it’s up to you how you want to handle this, but I’m telling you, she felt rejected.** ”

 

Tullk considered this. “Wait, when did she tell you that?”

 

“Group therapy this morning.”

 

Now Tullk was angry, “Aleta!  You can’t tell me things you learn in group therapy!”

 

“ **She said you always told her she was a person not a thing.  Then went she wanted people things, like love, you blew her off.  Clean up your mess, Tullk!** ”

 

“ **I can’t!  Ravagers can only proposition up the chain of command!  There is dick all I can do about it now!** ”

 

Aleta sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.  “ **Or, you could, you know, try inviting her to dinner like you would with any other person and see how it goes.  Seriously though, Tullk, if you don’t see her that way, just say and I’ll move her to my squad and try to find her someone else.  It will take awhile to get her to trust someone again, but if it isn’t going to be you and her, I should get on with that.** ”

 

“Aw, fuck.”

 

The waitress turned to stare at him.  “Sir, this is a family establishment, if you are going to use that kind of language, you will have to leave!”

 

Tullk stood up from the table and went to get Brahl.  “Come on, kid.  Let’s go find Yondu.”

 

Brahl hurried over.  “Why we gotta find Yondu, Papa?”

 

“I was thinking you should buy Whiskey a present, but I don’t know what to get her.”

 

Brahl considered this.  “I do.”

 

\----

 

Brahl had picked out a basket of food.  There was three different kinds of fruit that Brahl had been very enthusiastic about and a very specific kind of cookie. None of it was expensive.  Tullk looked at what Brahl had picked out.  “Are you sure about this?”

 

Brahl nodded happily. “It was our favourite treats.  We only got them once a year on Kree high holy days.”

 

Tullk felt kind of sick, “We are give her slave food?”

 

Brahl shook his head, “Kree treats.”

 

Tullk closed his eyes.  This was going to go bad.  “Is there something else we can get her instead?”

 

Brahl considered this.  “Whiskey likes pretty shoes, but I don’t know how to buy those for her.  She liked Nekkass’s bed warmer.”  Brahl shrugged.  “I don’t know.  She is going to love this.”

 

Tullk had everything boxed up and just for the hell of it had the grocer through is a singing flower of  Darillium.  He chose soft purple like her skin.

 

Brahl wasn’t sure about that.  “Do you eat it?”

 

Tullk shook his head.  “You give it water and light and it trills softly in the dark.”

 

Brahl wrinkled his nose.  “It smells funny.  I don’t wanna give her that.”

 

Tullk shrugged.  “OK.  I’ll put it in my room.”

 

Tullk took Brahl back to Whiskey’s room to drop off the box of treats before going back to explore Contraxia some more.  Brahl opened the door and yelled, “Whiskey!  I brought you a present!”

 

She looked up from her book with smile, but as soon as she saw Tullk she dropped her gaze and was ashamed.  “Thank you,” she said softly.  “Are you back now?”

 

“No!  Me and Tullk are going to go see the zoo.  Wanna come with us?”

 

She shook her head, “Thank you for asking, but I don’t want to intrude.”

 

Brahl looked at her, “Why are you sad?”

 

She smiled and said, “It’s been a long day for me.  Why don’t you go see the zoo and you can tell me all about it when you get back?”

 

“OK.  Tullk bought you a stinky flower to make noise and keep you awake at night.”

 

Whiskey looked up, obviously startled at that.  Tullk held the flower out silently.  She came over and took it from him without making eye contact.  “Thank you,” she said, politely, blushing a deep purple.

 

“It’s supposed to be soothing.”  Tullk explained.  “It isn’t supposed to keep you up at night.”

 

Whiskey nodded.

 

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you, Whiskey.”

 

She nodded again, “I know.  I just forgot who I was for a moment there.  I’m sorry.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

She shrugged and turned away to put the flower on her desk.  “I forgot I was broken.  You want someone who isn’t.  It’s OK.  I understand.” She wiped her face,  “You and Brahl should get going before the zoo closes.”

 

Brahl started to growl.  “Tullk said you were broked?” he demanded.

 

Whiskey shook her head and kissed the top of his, “No sweetie, I was asking for things I can’t have.  Tullk is very kind.  Now, go on, you don’t want to miss the zoo.”

 

Brahl looked between Whiskey and Tullk, “Is that why you don’t love him any more? Cause he said you was broked?”

 

“It’s complicated.”

 

Brahl crossed his arms.  “Tell me!” he demanded.

 

Tullk cleared his throat at that point.  “Come on, pup, we’re upsetting Whiskey, we should go.”

 

Brahl hugged Whiskey tight around her knees.  “I want you to come!”

 

“Next time, sweetie.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“We’ll see.”

 

“That just means no.”

 

“I just need a few minutes.  I’ll see you at supper.”

 

“Fine.”  Brahl stomped out.

 

Tullk cleared his throat.  “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

 

Whiskey nodded. “Thank you for the flower, Quartermaster Ul-zyn.”

 

Tullk turned to leave, and as he stood on her threshold, he said, “You aren’t the one of us who is broken, Whiskey.  I’m the one who can’t ...understand why someone as wonderful as you would want a scarred up mess like me.”

 

He left.

 

Whiskey turned off the light and lay on her bed to cry in the dark.

 

The flower glowed with a soft bioluminescence and began to hum quietly.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please.


	23. Angry Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we find what it takes to get Whiskey to lose her cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, Four nostril for the proof reading!

Qewgin found Whiskey hiding in her room. This was not inherently unusual, for Whiskey, who was always happy to socialize but never confident enough to initialize it. But sitting in the dark was not usual.

“Are you OK?” Qewgin asked.

Whiskey shrugged. “Quartermaster Ul-zyn brought me a flower. It glows in the dark and makes noises.”

“Huh.” Qewgin thought about that. “He’s buying you presents, now?”

“I get the feeling it was Brahl’s idea.”

Qewgin considered this, “I never asked. What happened between you? You didn’t really want to talk about it and I was afraid to ask. But you have his gift on your table and not in your recycling bin, so it wasn’t something to make you hate him.”

Whiskey shook her head. “I asked for something I shouldn’t have, and now I can’t be around him anymore.”

“Did you decide that or did he?”

Whiskey looked down and whispered, “I asked him to let me...touch him. He said no. I am ashamed I wanted to.” She closed her eyes and swallowed, “That I want to.”

Qewgin stared at her, “Well, shit. We have got to find you someone who will appreciate the offer. Tullk’s… Well, he’s old, he doesn’t always behave the way we expect. So, is the flower a peace offering then?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Did he give you the flower because he wants to be your friend again?”

“I don’t know! How would I tell?”

“Did he say he missed you?”

“No. He said he didn’t mean to hurt me.”

Qewgin considered this. “Nope. I do not have enough alcohol to figure this out. Let’s go get the triplets and find a bar. It must be ladies night somewhere.”

\----

Whiskey had not had a good night. By the time she and Qewgin found them, Nekkass, Sluuffon and Tucheer were already several drinks drunk. While Qewgin hurried to catch up, Whiskey was left to be hit on by some guy too drunk for his translator to work properly. When she tried to politely duck out of the non conversation, he had given her a shove and the guy behind her had spilled about a half litre of what could have been moonshine, but was strong enough that it could also have been an industrial solvent on her.

Then the bar fight broke out.

When it was over, Whiskey and an only slight tipsy Qewgin had managed to wrangle the other ladies back to the ship. And now Whiskey just really wanted a shower and her bed.

Which did not put her in the best mood to find Tullk in her room.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, “Get out!”

He raised a finger to his lips and pointed to where Brahl was sleeping.

Whiskey closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Then she whispered, “I’m going to have a shower, but I want you to leave as soon as I get back.”

Tullk shook his head. “Go have a shower, but I’m staying until you are sober. You can either sleep in your bed while I am here or you can find someplace else to sleep but I am not leaving you in charge of Brahl while you’re drunk.”

“I am not drunk!”

Tullk clearly didn’t believe her.

“Ugh! All those times you told me I got to make my own decisions, but you don’t actually believe that, do you? No! Sweet, gentle Tullk, who made me fall in love with him when all he wanted was a god damn pet!” And with that she grabbed a clean pair of pyjamas and stormed out in swirling cloud of alcohol fumes.

She felt better after her shower, but she was also hoping Tullk would just leave without saying anything. She was too tired and angry to try to have a calm discussion with him just now.

\----

Tullk was still reeling from Whiskey’s declaration when she came back from her shower. The reek of cheap drinks completely gone.

In an angry whisper, she ordered him, “Get out.”

“You said you love me.” Tullk whispered back.

“Yeah, well, you made it pretty damn clear you didn’t want me touching you, so I’m dealing with it. Get out.”

“I didn’t think you meant it.”

Now she stopped and stared at him. “All that time you spent telling me I could say no, but you weren’t going to allow me to say yes? What kind of bullshit is that?”

Tullk grinned.

“What?” she demanded.

“Three months in mechanical has certainly improved your vocabulary.”

“What does that mean?”

“You swear like a Ravager now.”

“I am a Ravager now, not just the Quartermaster’s pet anymore! Now, I want you to leave!”

Tullk leaned forward and kissed her. She froze. He pulled away. She stepped forward and kissed him back. It was really nice. Tullk put his hand on the small of her back.

Whiskey shoved him away. “Quit messing with my head! If you don’t want me touching you, then you shouldn’t be doing this either!”

“I do want you touching me. But I want it to be your choice, not because you have to.”

Whiskey gaped at him. “You are so full of shit. I was asking for it to be my choice. I wasn’t offering to get naked and fuck you! I just wanted to see your body and how it worked so that I could make an informed choice! But, no, you didn’t want that! You had to make it about you touching me, and that wasn’t on the table.” She shoved him. “It still isn’t. Now leave.”

That last word came out quite a bit louder than the previous whisper fight. Loud enough to wake Brahl. They both immediately froze.

“You’re back!”

“Yes, but it is still time to sleep.”

“Whiskey? Can you sleep with me tonight?”

“Sure! If you want me to.”

“Good! Then Tullk can sleep in your bed and I can have a family again!”

Tullk and Whiskey both tensed and stared at the boy.

“Please?”

Whiskey nodded slowly. “One sleepover only. We can talk about the rest in the morning.”

“Yay!” Brahl was so pleased both the grown ups felt a pang about how everything was going to dissolve again in the morning.

Tullk crawled into a bed that smelled like the woman he wanted and realized he had a lot of explaining to do in the morning.

\----

Brahl had gone to bed on time, so it shouldn’t have been surprising that he woke up first.

“Whiskey! It’s time to get up!’ He jiggled her shoulder.

“Ugnha”

“Wake up!”

“Brahl, sweetie, if you let me sleep another few hours, we can do whatever you want when I get up.”

Brahl’s eyes lit up. “Promise?” he asked.

“Uh-huh” Whiskey murmured, as she fell back to sleep.

From across the room, Tullk grinned in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need comments


	24. A Day In The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whiskey owes Brahl a favour

Whiskey woke up to find Brahl and Tullk huddled around a tablet on mute.  She blinked disoriented at this. Then she remembered last night.  She groaned and flopped back into bed.

 

“Whiskey!  You’re up!  I have been very quiet and let you sleep for another few hours.”

 

That rang a bell she didn’t want to hear.  She forced herself to ask a cheerful, “Thank you.  So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

 

Brahl looked up happily, “I want you and Tullk to take me to Landoor Park!”

 

Whiskey just felt confused.  Tullk scrubbed his hand over his face.  “You want to go to an amusement park?”

 

“Yes!”  Brahl replied excitedly.

 

Whiskey sat up.  “I need to get dressed and have breakfast.”

 

Tullk held out his hand to Brahl, “We’ll meet you in the mess hall.”

 

Whiskey got dressed and brushed her teeth and gave herself a pep talk in the mirror.  She vaguely remembered promising Brahl, but she wasn’t keen on this.  “One day.  It’s one day.  I can get through this.  And really, it doesn’t matter if I embarrass myself.  I haven’t seen him in three months.  I’m sure I can go back to avoiding him tomorrow.”

 

She got a cup of coffee and a plate of breakfast before joining Tullk and Brahl at a table.  “What is Landoor Park?”

 

Brahl looked up excitedly, “They have a carousel and a ferris wheel and a bunch of roller coasters and a waterpark and a scary ride and a maze and a -”

 

Whiskey frowned and tried to figure out how much all of this was going to cost.  

 

Brahl trailed off.  “You said we could do whatever I want!”

 

Whiskey nodded slowly.  “We have to buy you bigger clothes, today is our last day here.  And I’m sure Quartermaster Tullk has to buy supplies for the ship.”

 

Brahl sagged.

 

Tullk cleared his throat.  “I’m done buying supplies, so if we get clothes this morning, then we could still go to the park this afternoon.”

 

Brahl perked up, “Please, Whiskey?”

 

She pressed her lips together and nodded.  “OK.  I’ll see what I can do.”

 

Clothes shopping was enlightening for Tullk.  Whiskey carefully added up their purchases before heading to pay for them.  It had been a long time since Tullk had to do that.  He offered to pay for Brahl’s things, but Whiskey had firmly refused.

 

“OK.  But I’m paying for the park then,” he said just as firmly.

 

Whiskey looked panicked.  She swallowed.  “You can pay for Brahl, if you insist, but I can pay for myself.”

 

Tullk looked at her.  She blushed but didn’t back down.  He nodded.  “Alright.”  She relaxed a little.

 

Clothes were dropped off on the ship and lunch was had before they headed out.  They had to take a train from the port to the park.  Brahl watched happily out the windows.  He was bouncing excitedly, then how noticed how still and quiet Whiskey was being.  “Are you OK?”

 

She smiled at him.

 

“It will be fun! I promise!”

 

There was a line to get in.  Tickets were half a day’s wages at how much Whiskey was earning.  Tullk tried to just buy all three, but Whiskey interceded with the cashier to pay for her own.  “This isn’t a date,” she said.

 

“No.” Tullk sighed.  “It’s a gift for Brahl that you aren’t letting me give him.”

 

She was taken aback by that.  Brahl was looking between them.  “Are you fighting?”

 

Whiskey shook her head.

 

“Are you sure?  Sometimes grown up fighting is weird.”

 

Whiskey kissed the top of his head, “You’re weird, sprog.”

 

Brahl grinned in a way that told Tullk this was something they had done before.  “No!  You’re weird!”

 

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s you that’s weird.”

 

“I love you, Whiskey.”

 

“I love you too, Brahl.”

 

And just like that, they both relaxed.

 

“So, what’s first?”

 

First was the ferris wheel.  Brahl sat between them and laughed and pointed at everything he wanted to do next.  “We only have the afternoon, pup.  You are going to have to shorten that list a little.

 

Next was the carousel, with Brahl firmly declaring he wanted to ride on a Bilgesnipe.  However, on their way over to it, they passed a frozen dessert stand and Brahl promptly declared he wanted one. Whiskey tried not to gag as she bought him frozen pâté on a stick.  As she straightened up from handing it over, something yellow on a stick was thrust into her field of view.  She looked up to see Tullk’s slightly worried face.

 

“They also have Zak fruit flavoured.”  

 

He was holding two and nervously offering her one.

 

She nodded and thanked him politely as she took it. Both Brahl and Tullk were staring at her as she took her first bite.

 

“Is it good?” Brahl demanded.

 

Whiskey nodded.

 

“Wanna try mine?”

 

She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

 

“Tullk?” Brahl asked, almost shoving the dessert in Tullk’s face.

 

“Thanks, Pup.”  Tullk took a little bite. Brahl beamed.

 

Food wasn’t allowed on the rides, so they found a bench to sit on while they ate.  Brahl started out sitting between them, but then with a sly look that wasn’t at all subtle, he climbed over Whiskey’s lap and wiggled onto the seat on her other side.  This meant she either had to get up and stand in the crowd or slide closer to Tullk.  She avoided eye contact, but slid over.  Brahl grinned and gave her a cold, slimy and liver scented kiss on the cheek. She put her arm around the boy’s shoulders and quietly finished her treat.

 

Brahl rode the Bilgesnipe mount on the merry go round.  He insisted that Tullk take the lizard creature next to him, which meant that Whiskey was on the giant wolf next to that.  Tullk kept looking over at her and blushing.  That was just -

 

“You’re being weird, Tullk.”  Brahl announced loudly.

 

Tullk whipped his head around to look at the boy.  He cleared his throat.  “Nah, Pup.  You’re after being weird.”

 

Brahl just threw his head back and laughed.

 

After the merry go round, Brahl wanted to try out one of the coasters.  Whiskey put her foot down at that one.  “It’s too fast for me.  Why don’t you and Tullk do this one?  I can sit one out, right?”

 

Brahl nodded slowly.  He looked up at Tullk who smiled encouragingly.  The coaster was fast and fun and the boys both screamed and put their hands up in the air.  When they got off, it took Brahl a moment to be able to walk in a straight line.  The pup found this hilarious.  Until they couldn’t find Whiskey.

 

As the boy started to panic, Tullk put a hand on his shoulder.  “It’s OK, just follow your nose.”

 

“There’s too many people.”

 

“Not if you concentrate.”

 

Brahl closed his eyes, he found Whiskey’s smell and walked forward, Tullk’s hand still on his shoulder.  They found her at the shooting gallery.  She was up five hundred points and there were more than a few men standing around watching her bent over to sight along the blaster barrel.  Brahl let out a whoop and ran over.  She looked down and grinned at him.  Suddenly, most of her audience had other things to do.

 

“Do you want to try?” she asked Brahl.

 

“YES!” he replied.  Whiskey paid for another set of rounds.  Brahl didn’t hit a single thing, but Whiskey’s points were turned into a prize that she handed over to the boy.

 

Tullk was smiling at them when she turned around.  She shrugged, “Cussin’ isn’t the only thing I learned in Maintenance.”

 

“Good.  They teaching you how to fly, too?”

 

Whiskey swallowed and looked away.  “A little.  So I can do test flights after I make repairs.”

 

Tullk nodded approvingly.  “Maybe you can take us out sometime.  I never learned.”

 

Now she was suddenly staring at him, trying to read his face.  Then she wrenched her gaze away and tried to analyse what she had just heard.  She wasn’t going to apologise for that, but it was strange knowing something that Tullk didn’t.  She had sort of gotten used to be the least educated person in the room.

 

“What’s next, Brahl?” Tullk asked.

 

“Can we try the maze?”

 

Both Whiskey and Tullk just shrugged.

 

They all went in one at a time.  Whiskey was the last one in and the first one out.  Tullk was a few minutes behind her.  Twenty minutes later, the lost child drone brought a nervous Brahl out.  Once he had run over to hug Whiskey, he announced, “Well, that wasn’t any fun!”

 

She just laughed.  “If it is a fixed maze, that means where the walls don’t move, just always turn right at every corner and sooner or later you will get out.”

 

“Oh.” Brahl thought for a moment.  “I knew that.”

 

Whiskey snorted softly.

 

“I wanna get something to eat!” Brahl announced, but quickly added, “Please?”

 

Whiskey looked down at him, “Does that mean you are ready to go back to the ship for supper?”

 

Brahl shook his head and crossed his arms. Tullk turned to the maze attendant, “Is there a restaurant on site where the menu will feed obligate carnivores as well as omnivores?”

 

The attendant nodded.  “The Castle House.”  Ze pointed up the hill.

 

“Thank you.”  Tullk said.  Then he turned to Whiskey, “C’mon.  I’ll buy you dinner.”

 

Whiskey hesitated, looking at the Castle.  “That looks too fancy for us.”

 

“Nah.  You’ll be fine.”

 

When they got to the doors, the maitre d looked them up and down and announced, “You are late.  The rest of your party is already seated!” Then, with a  haughty swish of her cape, she turned and led them into the restaurant and over to a table where a number of other Ravagers were already seated.  Tullk held Whiskey’s chair as they sat down.  

 

Charlie grinned at her. “I thought you were running errands today.”

 

She nodded. “I was.”

 

“We did that this morning.” Brahl explained.  “Whiskey said we could do what I wanted today, if I let her sleep in and I did!”

 

Charlie had a good chuckle at that.  “How you liking the place, Brahl?”

 

“It’s awesome!  I rode the coaster and tried the shooting gallery and went on the Bilgesnipe on the merry go round and…” he looked over at Whiskey and trailed off.  She had gone pale and was staring at a table of Kree.  He followed her gaze, then gave a little whimper and looked down. Whiskey looked at him, then bowed her head too.

 

Charlie looked over.  “Someone you recognize?” He asked calmly.

 

Whiskey closed her eyes, tears leaking out from beneath her lashes and nodded silently.

 

“Which one?” Charlie asked quietly.

 

Whiskey started to tremble, her breathing got faster.

 

“The one in the purple jacket.” said Brahl.

 

“We’ll take care of it.” Nekkass said quietly.

 

Tullk shook his head.  He was about to say that he was claiming the kill when Whiskey pulled Charlie’s blaster out of his holster.  She stood up so fast that her chair started to fall over.  Before it hit the floor, she had blown the guy’s head off.

 

Then the screaming started.  People stampeded towards the exits.  

 

Charlie placed a gentle hand on Whiskey’s arm.  “Anyone else you need to kill?”

 

She shook her head.  Charlie took his blaster back.  Tullk set her chair back on it’s feet.  Charlie pulled her down a little so she got the hint and sat on it.  

 

Whiskey looked around the table.  Brahl was shocked.  Everyone else was calmly getting on with eating.  A completely nonplussed waiter came over.

 

“I’ll just add that to your tab, shall I, Mr 27?”

 

“Thank you.  We’d also like the kiddy carnivore plate and…  Are you ready to order, Whiskey?”

 

She stared at him for a moment.  When she spoke, her voice only shook a little.  “I’ll have what Nekkass is having.”

 

“And another couple of bottles of wine.”

 

“Of course, Mr 27.”  The waiter bowed slightly as he left.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please. 
> 
> Also, do you prefer more frequent updates or longer chapters? Everything is a little delayed just now due to my working on a writing challenge, but I am curious what you think.


	25. Whiskey's Sons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fall out from the pre-dinner show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta read

Whiskey watched the staff lock the doors and start cleaning up the body.  She was trembling slightly.  Tullk opened his mouth to speak but Nekkass got there first.

 

“Need someone to hold your hair while you’re sick?”

 

Whiskey swallowed, then nodded. Nekkass led her to the wash room.

 

Brahl watched them go.  Then he crawled into Tullk’s lap and buried his face in his Papa’s chest.  Tullk rubbed the boy’s back.  “You’re ok, Pup.  It will be OK.”

 

Brahl nodded.  “It’s supposed to be my job to keep her safe.”

 

Tullk frowned.  “Now, who told you that?”

 

Brahl looked up, “You did, Papa.”

 

Tullk tried to remember saying that.  He couldn’t remember exactly how that conversation had gone.  “Can you tell me anything about the… man she killed?”

 

Brahl squirmed out of his arms.  “I don’t want to,”

 

Tullk opened his mouth to say something, but Charlie said it first.  “It’s OK kid.  But if you ever want to talk about it, Tullk is a good listener.  And so am I.”

 

Whiskey was shaking when she got back to the table.  Nekkass poured her a glass of wine, but Whiskey shook her head and pushed it away.  Charlie raised an eyebrow.

 

“It would feel good to have a couple of drinks to take the edge off, but Mijo says that isn’t a good coping strategy.” Whiskey explained.

 

Charlie nodded and flagged over a waiter.  “They have excellent alternatives here.”

 

After a bit of discussion, both Whiskey and Nekkass ended up getting something called a cinderella.  It was fruity but not too sweet.  Brahl wanted one too, but, it wasn’t carnivore compliant.  The kitchen staff, however managed to whip something up with raw egg whites and fish sauce that made him happy.  Even if Whiskey crinkled her nose.

 

She didn’t say much during the meal.

 

Once the restaurant was cleared, Brahl was more than happy to fill the silence with stories of his day.  Tullk joined in periodically.  Whiskey sat quietly with a thousand yard stare, avoiding eye contact with everyone.  Eventually, Brahl wound down and Whiskey stood up.

 

“C’mon, time to go back to the ship.”

 

“I’m not … tired,” Brahl’s declaration was rather ruined by a yawn half way through his sentence.  

 

The rest of the table stood up too.  Whiskey tried to wave them off.  “You should stay, I don’t want to ruin the rest of your night off.”

 

Nekkass looped her arm through Whiskey’s, “It’s time to blow this pop stand any way.  I wanna go get pretty before hitting the nightclubs.”

 

Brahl frowned, “But you are already pretty.”

 

Nekkass squealed and scooped him up into a big hug and a kiss on his cheek.

 

‘Ugh!  Girls are weird!  I don’t want your spit on me! That’s gross!”

 

The group of Kree that had been waiting up the street from the restaurant was suddenly less interested when when Charlie came out on one side of Whiskey with Tullk on the other.  She carried Brahl on her hip and he was asleep before they even got to the train station.  When the train got to the docks, Tullk picked up the sleeping Brahl.  “He’s getting big.  No need to hurt your back.”

 

“What about yours?”

 

“I heal.”

 

They walked in silence the rest of the way to Whiskey’s room.  When Tullk went to lay Brahl down in the boy’s bed, he cried out and clung tight to his Papa.  “ _ Don’t go!  Don’t let them come for me! _ ”

 

Whiskey frowned.  It had been months since she last heard Brahl speak Kree.  She sat on the bed and pulled off his boots and rubbed his back.  “It’s OK.  We’re home.  We’re safe.”

 

Brahl opened his eye and blinked at her.  “I wanna sleep with Tullk!”

 

Whiskey looked uncomfortable, but she glanced at Tullk, who nodded.  “OK.  I’ll pack up a few things for you to take to his room.”

 

“You’re coming too, right?”  Whiskey shook her head and started to say no.  “Please!  Please, Whiskey!  You know you are going to have nightmares too.  Tullk will keep us safe!”

 

Whiskey chewed her lip.

 

Brahl started to cry.  “I just want my family back!”

 

Whiskey ran her hand over Brahl’s little bald head.  “Oh, my love, it isn’t that simple.”

 

Brahl crossed his arms.  “Yes it is. You love him.  He loves you.  You are just too stupid to say it!”

 

“Easy there, pup.” Tullk said quietly.

 

Whiskey closed her eyes and went very still.  “I’ll pack you a bag and you can go sleep with Tullk tonight and you can decide what you want to do in the morning.”

 

“No!” Brahl shouted and shoved Whiskey.

 

“Hey! That’s enough!” Tullk said firm.

 

The boy turned on him, fists raised.  Whiskey scooped him up and held him tight to her chest.  He struggled and cried and then just sobbed and eventually settled down and fell asleep.

 

“I’m sorry, Quartermaster Tullk.  It has been a long day and he is very tired.”  Whiskey sighed.  “I’ll tuck him in.  It might be better if he didn’t see us together again.  It just upsets him.”

 

Tullk felt sick.  “I’m sorry.  He’s right.  I’m stupid.  I didn’t understand what you were saying and in my ignorance, I hurt you.  I have regretted that ever since.  But these last few days, seeing how strong you have become…  I can’t bring myself to regret that.  I am so proud of you Whiskey.  I’m just really disappointed in myself, that I hurt you so badly that you had to become strong on your own.”

 

She looked at him and nodded, but didn’t say anything.

 

Tullk stood up and walked to the door.  He hesitated on the threshold, but didn’t turn around.  “Aleta told me yesterday that she would move you off of the ship if you couldn’t stand to be around me.  I really don’t want you to go.  But if you truly believe that’s what is best for Brahl.”  He waited a moment, hoping she would still tell him to stay.  His heart broke a little more when she didn’t.  He nodded and closed the door quietly behind him so not to wake Brahl.

 

Since he wasn’t looking at her, he completely missed the silent tears streaming down her face.

 

After he left, Whiskey remained sitting on Brahl’s bed, holding the sleeping boy in her arms.  She realized Tullk hadn’t turned off the light when he left.  She should go do that.

 

She should go turn off the light.

 

In a couple of minutes, she would go turn off the light.

 

\----

 

Brahl had been asleep for an hour, if she set him down now to go turn off the light he would wake up.  She would just have to wait a little longer.

 

\----

 

It had been four hours.  This was getting ridiculous.  Just go turn off the fucking light.

 

\----

 

Look, it may have taken me a hour to walk across the room to turn off the light, but it wasn’t because I’m afraid, I just don’t want to wake Brahl.  I am here now,  I am holding the boy.  I am turning off the light.

 

Now.

 

Now… 

 

No really, I am turning off the light.

 

I have my hand on the switch.  I am turning it off.

 

OFF!

.

.

.

ON! On! ON!  The light is ON!  It’s OK!  The light is on.   I’m safe.  It’s OK.  I am an adult and I can damn well leave the light on if I want to.  Hel, I can sleep with the light on, if I want to.

 

\----

 

I still have the day off tomorrow and sleep is highly over rated.  This is fine.

 

\----

 

“Whiskey?  Are you asleep?  We aren’t supposed to sleep in the mess hall.”

 

“I’m fine.  I’m just… Eat your breakfast, please, Brahl.”

 

\----

 

“I hear you found Mr Sloat last night.”

 

*nod*

 

“I hear you took care of him for me.”

 

*nod*

 

“Fuck.”  Yondu considered all of this.  “I love you, Whiskey, but next time, you let me kill him slow.  You look like shit.  Too soft for that sort of thing.  You sleep at all last night?”

 

*shake*

 

There was a pause while Yondu considered this.  “Hey, Kid?  Can you go get Whiskey some tessin juice from the doc?”

 

He waited until the boy had sprinted away.  Then he knelt down close to Whiskey’s ear and whispered.  “Can you even talk right now?”

 

*long pause, slow shake, silent tears*

 

“ _ Oh, W, I am so sorry. _ ”  Yondu hugged her tight as she sobbed into his chest.  He messaged Silas to keep Brahl in the sick bay until Tullk could come for him.  Then he took Whiskey back to her room.  Yondu sat with her, while she tried to sleep, with the lights on.

 

Eventually, exhaustion overtook her and she passed out.

 

Yondu turned the lights down and waited.

 

Whiskey jerked awake, the sound of screams ringing in her ears.  Yondu was carding his fingers through her hair.  “Yur safe.”  

 

She nodded.  Tullk was wrong, she thought, she wasn’t strong.  She was pathetic.  She was broken and useless.  Brahl would be better off staying with him.  She could ask Aleta for a different posting.  She could get off the ship at the next Xandarian port, check herself into a refugee camp.  She could-

 

“What happened with you and Mr Smiles?” Yondu asked, completely derailing her train of thought.

 

“He wanted a pet.”

 

Yondu considered this.  At least she was talking again. “Nah, pretty sure that wasn’t it.”

 

Whiskey nodded, “Yes, it was.”

 

“Well, how do you know?”

 

“I asked to touch him, he wasn’t interested.  I moved out of his room and he ignored me for three months.”

 

“Yeah, well, he had to, dint he?  Once you moved out, I mean.”  Yondu looked at her confused expression.  “Ravagers can’t proposition junior crew members.  So if you didn’t try to spend time with him, there weren’t nothing he could do about it, right?”

 

She just stared at him.

 

“What?” Yondu asked, “He say something like ‘Get out and never come back’?”

 

Whiskey shook her head.

 

“Whatever.  None of my business,” Yondu shrugged.  “Except you were happier with him, is all.”

 

Whiskey needed to think about that.  What Tullk had said was that she was always welcome in his room.  She had thought, at the time, that he meant as a bed warmer.  Or someone to nest on his floor.  As a pet.  Once he had convinced her she could be a person, she hadn’t wanted that anymore.  But…. what he had said last night….  Maybe he wasn’t the only one who had misunderstood the circumstances.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please. I've had a couple of weeks off and could do with some encouragement to get back in the game.


	26. The Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whiskey has a hard time asking for things.

Brahl was very angry when Tullk picked him up in the sick bay.  It didn’t help that Silas wasn’t exactly clear about what had happened.  Brahl was completely blaming Yondu for everything.  

 

Silas was a bit more hesitant, “I hear she killed someone last night.  First kill?  How’d she sleep last night?”

 

Tullk shrugged.  “She didn’t want me around.”

 

“You left her alone?”

 

“She wasn’t alone!” Brahl snapped.  “I was there!”

 

Silas and Tullk exchanged a look.

 

“I can keep Brahl if-”

 

“She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

 

Silas crossed his lower set of arms and did a double facepalm with the upper set.  “Argh!  You need to sort your shit out, Tullk!”

 

Tull nodded at Brahl.  “I’ll buy you a drink sometime and tell you how that went.”

 

Silas grumbled and signed out of the sick bay and went to Whiskey’s room.  He found her asleep in Yondu’s arms.  “That good, huh?”

 

“I don’t think she slept at all last night.  She was in a bad place when I found her.”

 

“Do you know what that guy did to her?”

 

Yondu shifted uncomfortably, “Nothing, directly that I know of, but they would make her watch while he… hurt the boys in her care.”

 

Silas swallowed.  “Hurt?”

 

Yondu glared at him.

 

“Oh.”  Silas considered this some more.  “Oh.”

 

Yondu cracked his knuckles.  “She shouldn’t be alone.”

 

Silas nodded, “I agree.  Can you stay with her tonight?”

 

Yondu shook her head.  “Not without saying something the boy doesn’t need to hear.  Besides, I’m not sure I’m the best person for the job.  She will try to protect me. Try an keep from showing how upset she is.”  Yondu considered this for a moment.  “I’ll see what I can do.  Warn Tullk not to be a jackass if I can get her to ask him for help”

 

\----

 

Whiskey opened her eyes and sat up.

 

“Easy there.” Yondu cautioned.

 

“I’m fine.  Thank you for staying with me.”  Whiskey said softly.

 

“You’re welcome.  You held me through nightmares often enough.  I owe you more than one.”

 

Whiskey pushed herself upright and went looking for clean clothes.  Yondu watched for a moment before saying, “I aint happy about you bein’ alone right now.  Hows about we move you and the kid into one of the women’s barracks?”

 

Whiskey shook her head.  “If I start crying in my sleep, no one will get any rest.”  She thought for a moment.  “Maybe if I asked Tullk, Brahl could-”

 

“From what I hear, the boy recognized the bastard, you think he’s gonna be happy sleeping with a man right now?”

 

“He asked to sleep over last night!”

 

“He?  Is that Brahl asked or Tullk asked?  And before you even answer, I’m gonna flat out call bull shit that the boy was asking to ditch you.”

 

“He -”  Whiskey hung her head. “Brahl asked if we could sleep over with in Tullk’s room.”

 

“And you said no.”

 

“I- ...He- …” Whiskey said defensively, then stopped and breathed a heavy sigh.  Then she nodded.

 

“You used ta say he made you feel safe.  He do som’ing to change that?”

 

“No.”  Whiskey had answered this question many times in many forms, but this was Yondu.  “I did something to make me feel stupid.”

 

“So… it’s a matter of your bruised pride, not som’ing I need to kill ‘im for?”

 

Whiskey just stared at him.

 

“Don’t know it would work, getting him dead.  But I could lay a beatin’ on him, if you want.”

 

Whiskey shook her head.

 

\----

 

Tullk was reading.  Vaguely reading.  Mostly watching the pup squirm in the blanket nest he had built on the floor.  Brahl had started out in his bed.  That lasted about five minutes before the pup started crying.  As much as that stung, it wasn’t about him, so Tullk had called Whiskey and left a message for her to come and get the pup.  He was worried about that.  In the meantime, Brahl had gotten out the blankets and started nesting on the floor.

 

There was a knock on the door.  Tullk got up to answer it.  It was Whiskey, she couldn’t even look at him.  He opened his mouth to say something, but she went first.

 

“Slaves aren’t allowed to ask for things.”

 

“You aren’t a slave.”

 

“I still think like one, though.” She was quiet for a moment.  “I am trying not to.  But it is what I know.  It is harder to remember to be a person when I am afraid or nervous.”

 

Tullk nodded,  He waited.

 

“I am not afraid of a deadman.”  There was a long pause as she struggled for words.  “But he reminded me of bad things and when I turn off the lights, I relive them.”

 

“Yeah.  I think Brahl is doing that too.”  He waiting to see what she would say next. 

 

Nothing, apparently, but she turned big pleading eyes on him.

 

Tullk licked his bottom lip and chose his words carefully.  “I will do anything I can to help, Whiskey, please believe that.  But the Code limits what I can offer you.  You have to tell me what you need.”

 

He could see the internal struggle.

 

“Do you… could… “  she fell silent for a moment before blurting out in a rush, “I-don’t-want-to-be-alone.”

 

Tullk stepped aside.  Whiskey slunk in and curled up next to Brahl on the floor.  Tullk frowned.  “You are not a slave.  People sleep in beds.  I’ll sit at my desk if you don’t want me that close.”

 

It was the wrong thing to say.  There was a whispered conversation in Kree where Whiskey and Brahl tried to figure out what to do.  They were both certain that they should not be taking Tullk’s bed.

 

“Would it be better if you slept in your own beds and I could be your guard?”

 

The stared at him.  Brahl said, “But you need to sleep too.”

 

Tullk shook his head and grinned.  “Not really. Not like you do.  I will be ok.  Besides, nightmares never come for me.  I’m too ugly.  I scare them off.”

 

Brahl ran over and gave Tullk a quick hug but flinched as soon as Tullk went to return it.  “Maybe…” the boy hazarded, “maybe, we can sleep like we did the last time.”

 

\----

 

Tullk ended up sitting in the dark watching his loves sleep.  Well, Brahl was asleep Whiskey was staring at the ceiling.  The lights were low enough for the flower to sing but not so dark that Whiskey couldn’t see around the room. 

 

After a long while of Brahl making little baby snores, Whiskey whispered, “You are not so ugly.  Scars look better on a man.”

 

“Not everyone would agree with that.”

 

Whiskey made a little noise like she wanted to argue, then stopped.  Then she took a deep breath, “Tullk, even just with this crew you couldn’t take everyone outside and have them agree the sky was orange.  But still, I think, more would say scars look better on a male then on a female.”

 

Tullk grinned. “That might be the most tentative contradiction I have ever heard.  Nonetheless, good for you.  Generalities aside, I am certainly more ugly than you.”

 

Whiskey made a tiny little gasp.  “How can you say that?  You are strong.  I am not. You earned your scars through great feats.  I was given mine because I was too stupid to follow orders properly.”

 

Tullk shook his head, “You were given your scars because the Kree are too lazy to fight their own battles and too cruel to take care of those who are smaller than they.”

 

Whiskey didn’t say anything to that.  She still hadn’t actually looked at him.  Her eyes were still firmly fixed on the ceiling.  She was quiet for a very long time.   Tullk read another few pages in his book.

 

It was so quiet, even with his very good ears, he had to strain to hear.  “I am still uglier than you.”

 

He grinned at his book.  It was the strangest thing for her to be defiant about.

 

Another few minutes passed and Whiskey finally rolled over.  Her back was to the wall and she hunkered down under the covers.  The tiny whisper came again, “- most beautiful man I have ever seen and you don’t even know-”

 

For the first time in a very long time, Tullk was shocked.  And it had been even longer since someone had made him blush.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please?


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small amount of new content in this chapter. I'm giving this work a re read and seeing if I want to continue

 

Whiskey was trying to figure something out.  She thought maybe she would like to spend more time with Tullk, but she had also arranged her life so she wouldn’t accidentally run into him.  And now that she maybe wanted to bump into him, there wasn’t any overlap in their schedules.  It had been a week since he slept over and she hadn’t seen him since.

 

He left while she was brushing her teeth.  It felt… upsetting that he was just gone.  Still, she told herself that he likely hadn’t had any sleep that night.  It was likely easier to just pretend the last few days hadn’t happened if he was just gone.

 

The problem was, she didn’t want the last few days not to have happened.

 

She decided to work up to talking to him.  Sluuffon was often at things with the other Silurians.  Whiskey was usually invited.  So at the next ladies night, Whiskey sidled up to her and asked, “How is the quartermaster doing these days?”

 

Sluuffon frowned.  “He’s fine, but he misses playing with Brahl.  You need to let him see his boy more often.”

 

Whiskey opened her mouth to protest that.  Brahl got to spend as much time with Tullk as he wanted.  Then her brain went *bing!* and she closed her mouth and went back to her room.  

 

She looked hard in the mirror for a moment, before tossing her wardrobe.  Normally, she didn’t care about what she wore, but…  She found her pretty boots and a fitted long sleeved shirt that hid her most of her scars.  She brushed her hair so that it covered the back of her neck where her stripes showed.  She frowned in the mirror.  The other women did …. Things to make themselves pretty.  Face paint and fancy smells and sparkly things.

 

Whiskey didn’t have any of that.

 

She peered at herself in the mirror.  “Well, it’s not like anyone ever said you were pretty,” she told herself.  “Just go get this over with.”

 

Tullk and Brahl were at a ball game in one of the gyms.  Whiskey snuck in and found a corner to sit in with the rest of the audience.  The boys were having fun chasing a ball.  She didn’t understand the game, but she smiled at how much fun they were having.  Tullk was grinning and Brahl was hooting and running like it was the best thing ever.

 

Tullk’s grin wavered a bit when he saw her.  Whiskey felt her stomach drop.  He caught Brahl and pointed him in her direction.  The boy stomped over.  “You said I could have three hours with-”

 

Whiskey quickly shook her head.  “I’m just here to watch.”

 

Brahl gave her a hesitant smile.  “Really?”

 

She nodded.  He grinned hugely and ran back to the game.  

 

Brahl was clearly having a great time, but Tullk and the other men kept glancing over in her direction.  After about twenty minutes she realized she was the only member of the audience who was getting that kind of attention.  She closed her eyes and turned her head.  When she opened her eyes, she saw that most of the audience was staring at her too.

 

She bolted.

 

“Whiskey! Wait!” Tullk called.  

 

She ignored him and ran back to her room.  She paced anxiously for a few moments then indulged in the secret shameful thing that made her feel better.

 

Whiskey curled up in a ball and hid under the bed.  

 

This was the dumbest thing she had ever tried!  What was she thinking?  Stupid crazy slave!  No one invited her to the game.  Who did she think she was just turning up?  Like anyone wanted her there.  She should just fuck off and leave people alone.

 

After a few moments, she got her breathing under control.  She climbed out and tidied the room.  Then she sat on the floor and waited.  Brahl would be back in another couple of hours.

 

She didn’t get up when Tullk dropped Brahl off.  She concentrated on the floor, “I’m sorry I interrupted your game tonight.  I just wanted…  I won’t do it again.”

 

Tullk knelt down next to her.  “We want you there.  It was just … unexpected.”

 

“I should have asked first.”

 

“No.  You can just turn up.  It works better to not join the game halfway through, but no one minded you being there.  They were just surprised to see you.”

 

Whiskey nodded silently.

 

Tullk reached out towards her shoulder, then pulled his hand back.  “You have something on your sleeve.

 

Whiskey looked down to see her whole side covered in traces of dust.  She blushed deep magenta.  “I was just cleaning.”

 

Tullk nodded.  “Are you OK?  You seem… upset?”

 

Whiskey stared at him and thought, if I say yes, can I crawl into your lap and have you make it all better? She blushed even harder.  What she said was a muttered and quiet, “Just lonely.”

 

Tullk swallowed, “Do you need me to get someone?”

 

Whiskey pressed her eyes tightly closed, “Can you stay a little while?”

 

Brahl whooped, “YES!” and punched the air.

 

Whiskey flinched.  

 

Brahl crept over and curled into her lap and nuzzled her face.  “Did you see me score a goal?  I scored on Czar, Whiskey!  I snuck past him and hit the post with the ball!”

 

Whiskey nodded.  “I saw that.   But I don’t really understand the game.”

 

Brahl rushed to try and explain.  “There are three teams and they each have a post.  You get points by hitting the someone else’s post with the ball.  You can have big guys or lots of little guys and-”  He trailed off of a moment, then resumed his break neck speed description, “You aren’t allowed to hit people.  You lose points for that.”

 

Whiskey frowned.  “If there are all those people and two crash into each other, do they both lose points?”

 

“No…  It’s … “  He looked at Tullk for help, who sat down next to Whiskey.

 

“Each team can have 2000 lbs of players on the court.” Tullk explained,  “So you have to strategies if you want ten 200 lb players or twenty 100 lb players or some combination.  Collisions are based on velocity - that is speed and direction - and the relative size of the players.  So if Brahl bounces off someone, it really doesn’t count for much, but if someone pushes him out of the way, they will lose one to five points based on how big they are.  It’s scored by computer to be fair and some matches go into negative points.”

 

Brahl nodded, “Last game we won -2 to -3 to -5.”

 

Whiskey tried to process all of this while Tullk was sitting so close their shoulders were touching. Then she gave up and just leaned into him instead.

 

Tullk paused for a moment, then continued, “Matches are for a set time.  One hour, no breaks, but you can swap out players if you need to.  If play stops, the clock doesn’t.  It helps cut down on the amount of arguing.  If one team stops playing to argue about a point, mostly the other two teams take turns bouncing the ball off of their post.”

 

Whiskey pulled his arm around her shoulders.

 

Tullk was startled and stiffened slightly.

 

“I’m sorry.” Whiskey said instantly.  She dropped his arm and tried to get up.  Brahl was still in her lap.

 

“It’s OK.” Brahl said, refusing to budge.  “Just stay here, OK?  Papa doesn’t mind, you just surprised him.”

 

Whiskey shook her head, still trying to get up. “He doesn’t have to touch me if he doesn’t want to.”

 

Tullk put his arm back around her.  This time she flinched, but quickly leaned into it.

 

“I missed you.” Whiskey whispered.

 

“I missed you too.”  Tullk considered his next words carefully.  “I never considered you a pet.”

 

“Then what was I?  You don’t sleep with your workers.”

 

“We’re a FAMILY!” Brahl said, like it should have been obvious.  “I always wanted a family.  I only got to have one for a little while.  I want it back.”

 

Tullk considered this carefully.  “You can’t force people be a family, pup.  If Whiskey needs-”

 

She put her fingers on his lips. Her eyes searched his.  She moved her fingers and replaced them with her lips.

 

Tullk froze.  Objectively, Whiskey was a rubbish kisser.  He kissed her back and even started to chase after her lips when she leaned away.  “I always wanted a family, too. But I don’t know how. I keep getting it wrong,” she said quietly.

 

Brahl threw his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek.  “It’s OK. We can help you.”

 

Tullk was watching Whiskey carefully.  She just smelled sad. “If that is what you want, then we just have to figure it out,” he said.

 

Whiskey shivered, and nodded.  “I would like that.”

 

Tullk watched her carefully.  After a moment, she looked up at him. He smiled at her. She smiled back. It was a start. 

  


 

  



End file.
